Cinderella: The Harry Potter Version
by RazzyPop
Summary: There's a Christmas ball at Hogwarts. A masquerade ball. But what if Hermione gets detention and can't go? Who helps her get there? Read and find out! big HPHG and a lil RL and DG. fin as soon as ch 14 posted!
1. An Invitation

The 6th year Hermione Granger was in the library, doing her Potions essay. Actually, she was mentally debating about the raven-haired boy sitting across the table from her. She sighed. All he thought of her was just a friend. He looked up curiously at her. "Hermione, are you all right?" he asked. She gave him a warm smile and replied, "Yes, Harry. I'm fine."

He shrugged and went back to his own Potions essay. She looked down at hers. She had only gotten about two sentences done. 'I really need to get this essay done.' She thought. 'I need to stop thinking about him.'

Suddenly, the little voice in Hermione's head which she despised very much popped up. _Yeah. It's not as if the more you think about him, he's going to magically like you or anything._ It said.

She frowned. 'Why wouldn't he like me?' she snapped at the voice mentally.

_Why WOULD he?_ It asked. Hermione didn't reply at first. 'I'm nice and smart….and I guess I'm ok looking..' she responded slowly. The little voice laughed.

_You must be kidding! You are positively HORRIBLE looking!_ It screeched.

'Am not!'

_Of course you are! You think that Harry likes looking at THAT every day?_ It asked, referring to her face.

'What's wrong with the way I look?'

_You're no Cho Chang._ it replied smugly.

"Oh, who asked you?" she said out loud. Harry's head shot up. "Uh, 'Mione? Who are you talking to?" he asked. Hermione only shook her head. "No one, Harry. Don't mind me." She reassured. He gave her a confused look then went back to work.

_Now he thinks you're crazy._ The annoying voice snapped. Hermione frowned again.

"Oh, forget it!" she exclaimed. Harry looked up, with a puzzled look on his face. But Hermione didn't care. She gathered up her books and stormed off, leave a very confused Harry.

* * *

"What was THAT all about?" Harry whispered to himself. Hermione was acting very strange. He decided to gather up his books. He left the library slowly.

When he got to through the Portrait Hole, he found Ron and Ginny playing a game of Wizard's Chess, but no sign of Hermione. So Harry plopped down on the couch near the fire and watched the two Weasleys.

"Checkmate!" Ron shouted happily. "You ALWAYS win, Ron! It's no fair!" Ginny pouted. Ron chuckled. "Don't blame me that you're a sore loser, Gin. Oh, hey Harry. I didn't hear you come in. Where's Hermione?"

"Beats me. One minute we were doing our Potions essays and the next she storms out muttering to herself!" Harry answered.

Ron shook his head. "Women." He said.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hermione lay in her bed, arguing with the pesky little voice in her head once more.

_Great. Smooth move, Granger. Now he's thinks you're ugly AND mental!_

"Oh, shut it." Hermione muttered. She was getting tired of the voice.

_Hey, YOU'RE the one who ran off like some sort of lunatic. _It laughed.

Hermione didn't say anything. She pulled the covers over her and slowly drifted off to sleep………

The next morning, Hermione woke and got up lazily out of bed. She changed into her school robes and brushed her hair before heading down the staircase. Suddenly Harry popped into her mind. 'Oh, no,' she thought. 'I hope he doesn't think I'm crazy after what happened last night!'

She quickly descended the staircase, to find Ron and Harry waiting for her at the bottom. Harry started to say something, but Hermione cut him off.

"Listen, Harry. I'm fine. Don't worry about me. You have enough to worry about." She calmly explained. Harry opened his mouth as if to say something, but thought better of it and nodded.

It was true. Harry did have enough to worry about. After the death of Sirius, he hadn't quite been himself. But at least he was trying to feel better.

As they walked down to the Great Hall, Ron and Harry talked continuously about Quidditch. But Hermione stayed silent. All she could think about was Harry. His long, untamed raven-black hair, his bright green eyes, and he had developed muscles from Quidditch. Hermione sighed.

She then realized that they were already at the Gryffindor table. Hermione was helping herself to a muffin when a letter dropped to her plate. It read:

'All students from 4th year and up

Are invited to Hogwart's own

Christmas Masquerade Ball

On December 24

At 8:00 to 12:30

No dates needed

May not take off masks until midnight

Although if asked, you may reveal what year you are in.

Have fun!'

Ron was the first to speak. "A ball? We haven't ever had a ball! Not including the Yule ball, of course."

"And it's a _masquerade_ ball." Hermione added. "I wonder why."

Harry spoke. "Probably to have all the Houses to get along or something."

"Oh, no. If Dumbledore thinks that we're going to be cheery with those bloody Slytherins, he's gone mad!" Ron exclaimed. Everyone laughed. Hermione looked at Harry. Her was staring at her. "Harry, are you all right?" she asked. He averted his gaze and stared down at his toast. "Yeah, I'm fine." He said. Hermione shrugged.


	2. The Blasted Detention

A/N:Hi! thx for the -wait what!- 3 REVIEWS! Lol. Please find it in your heart to review! Much thanks!

Disclaimer: Oh my gosh! Guess what! I'm not J.K. Rowling! Aw, man! Sorry, but I don't own these characters. I'm not even sure that I own this plot...oh well...

It was after breakfast and the three were walking down to the dungeons.

"Hermione, I don't see why we just can't skive off Potions! You hate Snape as much as we do!" Ron moaned. Hermione shook her head.

"Ron, we can't afford to miss a single class! N.E.W.T.s are next year and we have to know all that we can." Hermione pointed out. Ron didn't say anything else.

As they sat down, an uninviting voice came from in front of them. "Hey, look who it is. Potty, Weasel, and the Mudblood!" Malfoy sniggered. All the Slytherins laughed. Ron's ears turned a dangerous shade of scarlet.

"Don't let him get to you, Ron." Harry whispered. Ron nodded. Right before Malfoy said anything else, Snape emerged from his office.

"Get to your seats. Today, we will be learning about the Polyjuice Potion, so pay attention…"

Harry sat there, trying to pay attention. He turned to Hermione. She was furiously taking notes. 'She's cute when she concentrates like that…' Harry thought. 'Whoa! Wait a minute! Where did THAT come from?' Harry mentally shook himself.

"Now today, I will be pairing you up into groups. Let's see…Mr. Weasley, you will be working with Ms. Parkison." Ron and Pansy glared at each other. "Mr. Potter, you will be working with Longbottom….and Ms. Granger, you will work with Mr. Malfoy."

Hermione was shocked. Her….work with _Malfoy_! She glanced at Malfoy. He merely smirked. Hermione glared at Snape, but he didn't notice.

"Alright, class. Get into your groups. We don't have all day." He drawled. Hermione glanced at Ron and Harry, who gave her sympathetic looks, and walked over to Malfoy's table.

"Okay, listen. I don't like you, and you don't like me. And with that being said, you and I won't argue over anything for the class and get this over with. And if you dare be nasty with me in any way, I will curse you in oblivion. Do I make myself clear?" she stated. Malfoy blinked. "Fine. Whatever you say, Granger." He said, putting his hands up as if surrendering. She sat down and worked on the potion.

About ten minutes later, Hermione spoke up. "You're supposed to be helping, you know." She snapped. "You look like you're handling it fine." He said. "For a mudblood." He said under his breath. But Hermione heard it. She didn't think of grabbing her wand. She raised her hand and slapped him across the face so hard her fingers hurt.

"Ms. Granger!" Snape snarled. "What on earth are you doing!"

"Professor, she-"

"I hit him, Professor." Hermione stated, cutting off Malfoy. "And I'm glad I did, too!"

"Are you actually admitting what you did?" Snape asked, puzzled.

"Yes, sir." Hermione replied, crossing her arms and glancing at Malfoy. His face now had a red handprint where she slapped him.

"Very well. You will report to my office for detention on…….." he looked through some papers. "December twenty-forth."

Hermione's jaw dropped. "But Professor! That's the night of the ball!" she cried. Snape sneered. "Well, you should of thought of that before slapping Mr. Malfoy over here." Snape stated, gesturing to Malfoy.

"Now, you go back to your desk. You and Mr. Malfoy will work separately."

Hermione stormed off to her desk and slouched down. She was never so mad in her life. Harry and Ron once again gave her sympathetic glances, but she didn't see them. All she could think about was Harry dancing with Cho at the ball, while she was busy doing something horrible in detention.

"Wow, Hermione. You really showed Malfoy! That made that punch you gave Malfoy in 3rd year seem like a friendly tap!" Ron exclaimed. He was now beaming at Hermione.

Harry couldn't help for feeling sorry for Hermione, though. Even though he was glad about what she did to Malfoy, who the whole time did nothing but glare at Hermione.

"It doesn't matter. Now I can't go to the ball!" Hermione said in despair. Harry patted her on the back.

"It's ok, 'Mione." Harry reassured. "There'll be other balls." Hermione gave only a small smile. Harry beamed. They sat down at the Gryffindor table. Ron looked down the table and saw Lavender and Parvati, whom were both giggling when they saw him.

"Uhh…. I'll be right back, you guys." Ron said uneasily. He walked down to where Lavender was sitting and started talking to her. Harry gave Hermione a puzzling look and Hermione shrugged, confused. They then saw Lavender stand up and give Ron a kiss on the cheek. He walked back, his face as red as his hair.

"What was that all about?" he asked slyly. If it was possible, his face reddened even more. "Um… nothing. N-nothing at all." Ron said, giving Hermione a fearful glance.

"Ron, it's ok. You asked Lavender to the ball, didn't you? I'm alright." She said.

Harry really didn't believe that. But he decided not to say anything. Hermione hadn't said a word for the rest of the day.

After classes, Hermione decided to skip dinner. She wasn't really hungry. She lay face down in her pillow and cried softly. She heard someone come in.

"Hermione? Are you alright? You weren't at dinner so I came to check on you…" came the voice of Ginny Weasley. She pulled open the curtains, crawled inside, and closed them again.

"Ginny, it's awful! Snape gave me a detention, and now I can't go to the ball!" Hermione cried. Ginny gasped and hugged her friend.

"There, there, Hermione. It's ok."

"I wanted to dance with Harry, Ginny. But now he's going to be with Cho bloody Chang." She sobbed. Ginny patted her on the back. "It's ok, Hermione."

They remained that way for the rest of the night.

A/N Hi people! I really hope you liked this chapter! I'm new at writing so reviews needed! Will try to update soon! Peace!


	3. Someone To Talk To

A/N: Thank you Aevum, my most loyal reviewer! You have NO idea how much this means to me, since you wrote a poem for my story! And so, to you, not just to embarrass you but to show that I care (I do?), the poem:

With a tap and a slap

Poor Hermione is stuck

Down in the dungeons

Down in the much

With Mr. Severus Snape

Who (though i like very much)

Just isn't her first choice of date

On the say of the ball

What will happen

Will Cho Chang snag Harry

Or will she be laughing?

I want to know more,

So please quickly write

Or I'll melt away.

Oh what a sight.

Awwww that was sooo sweet! I'm sure EVERYONE will love it! Lol.

People…PLEASE REVIEW! Gets on knees I'm begging you! Lol. Oh and thank you to all who did!

Disclaimer: Sorry, I'm not the Ever-So-Fabulous J.K.Rowling…… It may come as a shock. Just let it sink in slowly…… so you know I don't own ANY of the characters. I don't even own this can of Coke sitting right in front of me! Lol

ON WITH THE STORY!

Harry sat in front of the fire in the Gryffindor Common Room, thinking about Hermione. 'Why should I care? Why am I still thinking about her?' he thought. _Because you like her, you dimwit_ a voice said. Harry blinked. 'No, I don't. She's just a friend.'

_Stop being pig headed. You've liked her since 4th year. You know, when she was with Krum?_

'Shut up!' he mentally shouted at the voice. 'Hermione is a FRIEND! I DON'T care that she was with Krum in 4th year at the Yule Ball, I DON'T like her, and I don't think I will! Besides…she doesn't think of me that way, anyway.' He thought.

_How do you know that? _The voice asked.

'Because I'm not good enough for her.' The thought just popped into his head. 'I'm not at all good looking, and I'm not that smart. And if I tell her, she'll laugh in my face' he thought glumly.

_You're always so stubborn. She's not that shallow. She's you best friend. She wouldn't laugh in your face like that._ The voice reassured.

'Exactly. She's just like Ron. My best FRIEND.'

_Best friend yes…..but there's a big difference between Ron and Hermione._

'Oh, yeah?' Harry snapped. 'What then?'

_Hermione is your best FEMALE friend._ The voice said, dumbfounded. _I thought you were smarter than that!_

'Oh, just leave me alone.' Harry said to the voice mentally. The voice disappeared.

"Harry?" a voice asked.

"WHAT!" Harry shouted. He then realized it wasn't that one voice that he was just arguing with, but the voice of Hermione Granger.

"Oh, um.. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt what you were…uh….doing…whatever you were…um…doing…I'll just…..just leave you….alone." she stammered.

"No, it's fine. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. I just have a few things on my mind, that's all." He said. He gave her a small smile, in which she returned.

"I was just worried about you, Harry. You were awfully quiet. I just came to see if you were all right." She explained. She sat down on the couch next to Harry, her legs crossed.

"Well, you were quiet yourself yesterday." He stated. Hermione looked into the fire. "I-I was thinking about things…like you were." She simply said.

"Oh," Harry said. "Things as in….the ball?" he said timidly. Hermione turned her head and stared at him.

"No," she said quickly. Then she sighed. "Well, I'm not really good at lying, now am I?" she asked, chuckling. Harry nodded and let out a small laugh.

"Well, yes. I was thinking about the ball. You see, I wanted to dance with this guy there. He's amazing. Everything I could ever hope for. But some girl is probably take him away, now that I'm not going." She said. Harry's heart sank. 'See?' she mentally told the voice matter-of-factly. 'She likes SOMEONE ELSE.'

"Don't worry." Harry said. "If he likes you the same way you like him, he won't want to be with anyone else."

"But Harry, he doesn't even think about me that way! This is silly. I'm here spilling my guts out to someone who probably doesn't care about that kind of stuff." She laughed.

"No, Hermione…It's fine, really." Harry said. They gazed at each other for a little while. 'She's really beautiful…..wait, whoa! I HAVE to stop that! Hermione is my FRIEND.' He thought. Although he couldn't stop thinking how wonderful she really was.

Hermione stared into his green eyes. 'He'll never love me.' She thought sadly. 'He probably wants Cho bloody Chang. I hate this! Why can't I not be in love with Harry Potter!'

She was shocked by her own thought. 'D-do I _love_ Harry? Maybe……I don't know. My mind is so confused.'

"Um…I…I'm going…t-to head up to…to bed." Hermione stammered once more. She got up. Harry continued to stare at her, only making her heart flutter. "'Night." He said, getting up. He then hugged her.

Hermione's breath was caught in her throat. 'He's hugging me, he's hugging me!' she kept thinking. After a few moments she quickly pulled away from the hug and ran up to the girl's dormitory.

(A/N it's still Hermione's POV)

The next day was Saturday, and Hermione slept in. After waking up and seeing the clock, which read 9:21, she began to panic. Then she remembered that it was a Saturday, no classes.

She was walking down the corridor alone since Harry and Ron had already gone to breakfast. Suddenly, a hand reached out and grabbed her by the arm from an empty classroom. Hermione didn't have time to say anything. The person covered her mouth with his hand and whispered. "Don't scream."

Hermione nodded. The hand let go and she turned around, looking into the face of Draco Malfoy. She glared at him.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" she asked menacingly.

"Just listen." He said calmly, trying his best not to be upset. "I think I know a way you can go to the ball." He said.

A/N: ducks from tomatoes hey! Don't get mad! I promise the next chapter will be good! Sorry for the cliffie! Please review!


	4. The Plan and The Lake

A/N: Hi! I am SO sorry for the cliffie. But you'll see what happens in this chapter -winks- lol.

Oh and just so you know this is NOT-I repeat- NOT a Draco/Hermione fanfic- this is a Harry/Hermione fanfic! Trust me…you'll see why Draco is so….._keen_ to help out….

Disclaimer: I'm sorry, I'm not J. K. Rowling…..I know….It breaks my heart, too…….none of these characters are mine…….they belong to her.

* * *

"_I think I know a way you can go to the ball." He said._

Hermione stood there in shock. Malfoy…. Wanted to help _her_? The one where he referred to as the "mudblood"? The one who slapped him across the face and landed herself in detention for it?

"Uh…Malfoy? Why do you want to help me?" she asked, uncertainly.

"I'll tell you later." He said. "Anyway, do you want my help or not" Hermione nodded. "Ok, Snape gave you the detention on the 24th? The night of the ball?"

"You were there when he said it, Malfoy." She replied dryly.

"Hey, I'm trying to help you here. The least you can do is give me the courtesy to be polite." He snapped. "And if you don't mind, I would like to be on a first-name basis."

"Fine, Mal-….Draco." she said, carefully trying to call him by his first name.

"As I was saying, the 24th is the ball. A week away. But…..he has to patrol the dance." He added. Hermione got his point very clear.

"Oh! So you're saying that he won't be there for my detention, and I'll be able to go and leave before he has the chance to get back?" Hermione asked. Draco nodded.

"Exactly. You just need to make sure that he doesn't recognize you there, dance with Potter, then leave." He explained.

"Perf- wait a minute! How did you know I wanted to dance with Harry?" she asked, confused and a little angry.

"Oh, come on! You're so _obvious_." Draco sighed. "Everyone knows you like Potter, except maybe Potter himself…" he added.

"Oh." She said softly. "And why are you helping me, exactly?" she asked curiously.

Draco turned slightly pink. "Well…um…" he stammered. "Well...I..."

"Oh, get on with it!"

"Ok! Ok!" he exclaimed. "I wanted you to…do something for me." He said hastily. Hermione tilted her head in curiosity. "Oh, and what would that be?"

"Well….I wanted you to…tell someone…to meet me at the doorway of the Great Hall at the ball." He blurted out. This made him turn redder.

"And whom would that be, Draco?" Hermione asked slyly. "Well…….Ginny Weasley."

Hermione's jaw dropped. "Ginny! You like _Ginny!_" she asked, shocked. He nodded. "Don't tell. I want it to be a surprise."

Hermione nodded, still shocked. "I-I won't tell. I promise."

* * *

"Hey, Ron? Where's Hermione?" Harry asked, looking around.

"No idea, mate. She slept in. Maybe she's still asleep." He shrugged. Harry did the same.

Just then Hermione sat down across from Harry and Ron. "Good morning, Ron." She said happily. "Good morning Harry." (She said this with a really big grin.)

"'Morning, Hermione." Ron said, not paying attention. Though Harry beamed over at her and said, "'Morning, Hermione. What are you so happy about?"

"Oh, nothing." She replied. Harry one again shrugged and went back to his toast.

"So, Hermione…what do you think Snape will do to you in detention?" Ron asked timidly.

"Oh, I don't know…..probably something horrible, I suppose." She said, not a hint of sadness in her voice.

"You don't seem to upset about it." He retorted. It was now Hermione's turn to shrug. "It won't be THAT bad. He couldn't possibly torture me. And extra work is fine."

"What if he makes you clean out the cabinet?" he asked.

"I don't know." She simply answered. "Well, boys, I'm not really hungry. I think I'll walk around outside. See you later."

Harry and Ron stared at her in awe as she left the Great Hall to go outside. They looked at each other.

"What's with her? She's treating this detention like it's some sort of book convention or something!" Ron exclaimed.

"I don't get it either, Ron." Harry said quietly. "Maybe one of us should see what she's up to right now. Just in case something's up."

Ron nodded. "Good luck with that, mate." He said. Harry looked at him with disbelief. "What? I'm hungry and I plan to eat!" he stated. Harry shook his head and headed out to search for Hermione.

* * *

Hermione sat on a big rock near the lake, thinking about the ball. "This is absolutely, positively perfect!" she said to herself. "Now I can go to the ball and ball with Harry!"

_Sure. But he won't know who you are. And if he figures out, he'll be shocked and disgusted._ Said the pesky little voice that Hermione hated. "Who asked you? How do you know?" she retorted. The voice laughed.

_Are you really that daft? You'll dress up beautiful, which is something you are not, and Harry will fall for it, thinking you must be Cho in disguise, and then when you reveal yourself, he'd be so upset with himself for falling for a girl like you he'll probably kill himself!_

"Shut up!" Hermione shouted. The voice disappeared.

For the next five minutes, she pictured herself dancing with Harry. She closed her eyes and had a dreamy smile on her face. She pictured him leaning down and kissing her softly. Then, she was snapped out of her wonderful daydream by a familiar voice.

"Hermione? What are you doing out here?" Harry asked. Hermione's head shot over to Harry. "Oh, hi Harry." She said.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked again. Hermione patted a part of the rock next to her and Harry sat. "Just thinking, that's all." She said dreamily.

"Listen, Hermione, I know you're bummed about the ball, but it'll be ok." He said, trying to comfort her.

"Harry, it's alright. In fact, I don't really care that much. I mean, it's not like anyone would dance with me anyway." She added sadly.

"Hey," he said, looking at her. "Don't you ever think that. Any guy would love to dance with you."

Hermione's heart leaped into her throat. Though she managed to keep calm. "It's ok, Harry. You don't have to say those things to make me feel better."

"But they're true." He stated. "Any guy would be lucky to be with you. I bet there are loads of guys that like you. Maybe a few girls, too." He added with a grin. Hermione shoved him playfully. "You git." She said. Harry laughed.

"I'm serious, though, Hermione. A lot of guys probably fancy you!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, really? Like who?" she asked. Harry looked as if he were about to say something, but closed his mouth. "I don't know. But there is probably loads of 'em." He added, smiling.

Hermione couldn't help but smile. For a little while, they both just sat there, not saying a word and staring at the lake. Hermione shivered. Harry took off his cloak (which he had gotten before he went to look for Hermione) and put it around her shoulders. He didn't mind. He was wearing a sweater, anyway.

* * *

Hermione scooted a little closer to Harry. Not knowing what she was doing, she leaned her head on his shoulder. Her heart fluttered when he put an arm around her shoulder. She felt as if everything was right in the world.

Harry's heart started beating madly when Hermione leaned her head on his shoulder. He could smell her strawberry-scented hair. Without realizing it, he put an arm around her shoulder. He glanced down. 'She's beautiful….wait…I can't do this! Hermione is a _friend_. I can't do this with her! Then why do I feel like this right now?' he thought.

Hermione looked up at him. There faces got closer. He tilted her chin up and……

* * *

A/N: –ducks for cover- hey! Sorry! I left you on another cliffie, didn't I? Don't worry! I WILL update soon! Reviews are always accepted, embraced, and NEEDED! Lol. Until next chapter, my friends……remember…review! 


	5. Friends?

A/N Hi people! Me again! Once again, I am SO SO sorry for the cliffie! I had to. Thank you for all the reviews so far! It's not that many since I'm new at this, but still it's a lot for me lol. Just make sure you keep them coming! Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!

Disclaimer: I'm sorry, I'm not J.K. Rowling. I know, it's painful. Lol.

ON WITH THE STORY! YAY!

* * *

_He tilted her chin up and……_

"Harry! 'Mione! Where are you?" shouted the voice of Ron Weasley. Hermione quickly pulled away, blushing furiously. Harry just turned to the lake, also blushing. Ron found them and ran toward them.

"Hey, you guys. What's new?" He asked. "Not much." Hermione said simply. 'Just the fact that I was about to _kiss Harry Potter!_' she thought excitedly.

"Yeah, not much. You know, just talking." Harry added. Ron gave both of them a confused look.

"What?" Harry said indignantly.

"You two are acting funny." Ron said slowly. Hermione stared at him.

"You're being silly, Ron. We are perfectly fine." She said. Ron glanced at her, then at Harry, then back at her, then back at Harry again.

"Uh…alright then." He said in a disbelieving tone. Hermione scoffed in frustration and walked off toward the castle. 'Ron is such a…such a…' she thought, but she didn't know what he was.

* * *

"What was THAT all about?" Ron asked. Harry shrugged. 

"Maybe Hermione doesn't like the fact that you didn't believe what she said and kept asking questions." He said, thinking.

"You may be right." Ron said thoughtfully. "I'll apologize later. Want to go play Wizard's Chess?"

"Sure." Said Harry with a grin.

On the way back to the castle, Harry kept thinking about what was about to happen. 'I can't believe this. I almost kissed Hermione! Hermione! The same frizzy brown haired, bookworm Hermione! The same chocolate brown-eyed, smart, funny, beautiful…wait what am I thinking! I _can't_ like my best friend! I just _can't_!' he was thinking. The voice that Harry didn't like very much appeared.

_Oh, and why can't you?_ It asked.

'Because she would never like me that way, and if she found out that I DID like her, it would ruin our friendship.' He replied.

_But what if she DID like you? _

Harry thought for a moment. 'Why would she?' he asked.

_That, my friend, you need to ask her._ It simply stated. 'What the bloody hell are you talking about!" he mentally shouted. 'I can't ask her that! She would either laugh at my face or think I've gone mental! Or both!'

_You are completely hopeless._ The voice sighed. 'Shut up!' he said, but the voice was already gone.

"Harry, are you all right?" Ron asked concerned. "What? Oh, yeah. I'm fine, Ron." He replied, realizing that he had dazed off. They were standing right in front of the Portrait Hole.

"Password, please?" the Fat Lady asked.

"_Petrificus Totalus_." Harry said. The portrait swung forward. Harry and Ron stepped in. There was once again no sign of Hermione. 'She must be in her dormitory.' Harry thought. Ron and Harry sat down and played Wizard's Chess by the fire.

* * *

Hermione sat on her bead, reading _Hogwarts, a History_. Or at least she was trying to. Her thoughts were occupied with Harry. 

'He was really going to kiss me!' she thought with happiness. 'Me! Hermione Granger! He was going to kiss _me_! Oh, I could jump for joy!'

But she didn't. Instead, she had the biggest grin on her face. So big, Lavender gave her a funny look when she was brushing her hair.

"Hermione, why are you smiling like that?" she asked timidly. Hermione looked up at her. "Oh, it's nothing, Lavender." She said, beaming. She started to read again, but all Lavender could do was stare.

* * *

(Still Hermione's POV) 

Three days later, Hermione was curled up in front of the fire on a comfy chair, doing homework. It was Christmas break, but she wanted to make sure she had everything done.

"Hey, Hermione!" a voice shouted. Hermione looked up to see Ginny. "Hey, Gin." She smiled.

"What's up with you? We haven't seen much of you these days." Ginny said, grinning.

"Well…I've kind of been avoiding Harry." Hermione replied truthfully. Ginny's smile disappeared and sat on the couch next to her. "Why? What did he do to you? Was it awful? You want me to hex him? W-" Ginny's questions came billowing out, but Hermione cut her off.

"Ginny! It's ok! He didn't do anything bad!" Hermione said, amused by the questions Ginny was asking. "In fact," she said with a grin. "It was really really…_wonderful_! Until, that is, Ron showed up." She added glumly.

Ginny gave a squeal of excitement. 'Oooh what happened!" she asked anxiously. Hermione sat on the couch also and looked around to see if anyone was listening.

Hermione gave her every detail.

"And then we were about a millimeter apart when Ron found us." Hermione finished. Ginny gasped.

"Oh, my gosh! That is so sweet! When I find Ron-" Ginny began, but stopped when Hermione laughed. Ginny laughed, too.

"Well, I'm off to bed. Goodnight, Hermione." Ginny yawned.

"Ginny, wait!" Hermione called, remembering something. Ginny turned around. "What is it?" she asked.

"Um…someone wanted to meet you at the ball." Hermione told her. Ginny's face lit up with excitement. "Who?" she asked.

"I can't tell you. He wanted it to be a surprise. All he said was to ask you to meet him at the doors of the Great Hall." She replied.

"Alright." Ginny said, gave another squeal of excitement, and practically skipped up to her dormitory.

Hey, Herms." Said a voice from the Portrait Hole. Hermione turned to see none other than Harry.

"Oh, uh…hey Harry." Hermione said, turning slightly pink.

"What is she all giddy about?" he asked, amused. "Oh, nothing. Nothing at all." She said quickly. She started to gather up her things.

"I'm going to go to bed." She said, also quickly. But before Hermione could turn around to head up to the girl's dormitory, Harry walked over and grabbed her bag. "Come on, Hermione. I haven't seen you in _days_. What's the rush?" he asked.

Hermione let go of her bag, which Harry set down on the floor gently, and sat on the couch again. Harry sat with her. "It's nothing, Harry." She simply replied.

"It's about me, isn't it?" Harry asked, with a hint a sadness in his voice. 'No, that couldn't be sadness!' she thought.

"No, Harry! Of course not! Why would you think it would be about you?" she lied. Harry shook his head.

"It's like you said, Hermione. You're not a really good liar." He remembered. Hermione blushed.

"Hermione, I know what happened at the lake." He said. "I was there, remember?"

"Yes, wel-" Hermione started, but Harry put a hand up to finish. "Listen." He said. "You were acting funny that day. And I didn't know what I was doing."

Hermione felt her heart break. "R-right. So…it meant nothing?" she asked. Harry nodded. "Right."

He held out a hand. Hermione shook it. "Friends?" he asked with a small smile.

Hermione nodded. "Yeah…friends." She said sadly. Harry got up. "Well, I'm going to go to bed. 'Night, 'Mione." He said.

"Yeah, goodnight." She said. With that he went up the boys' staircase. Hermione then ran up the girls' staircase, without her bag. She ran to her room and pulled her curtains closed. For the rest of the night she remained there, sobbing.

* * *

A/N: Aww poor Hermione! Once again, thank you to all who reviewed. Thank you, RonluvHermione, for not throwing tomatoes at me! I'm glad that my story isn't atrocious. But I'm not sure about those grapefruits. –eyes grapefruit-

Anywho, will update soon! Promise! As long as you keep reviewing! Peace!


	6. An Unexpected Helping Hand

A/N: Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to all who reviewed! And I mean thank you! And to those of you who didn't, please review! You guys don't know how much they mean to me. Please review some more!

Disclaimer: If I was J.K. Rowling, I would be writing this in a BOOK, not a FANfiction website. Sorry, I'm just plain, boring, me who probably doesn't have much talent for writing but does it anyway…….

ON WITH THE DANG STORY ALREADY! Lol

* * *

Harry opened his door, finding Ron and Lavender kissing and sitting on Ron's bed. Harry cleared his throat loudly. They both looked at Harry, blushing furiously. "Uh…I think I'll just go…" Lavender said, sounding embarrassed. She practically ran out the door.

"What did you do that for, Harry?" Ron asked, disappointed. Harry laughed. "Gee, I'm sorry. Next time my best friend and his girl are snogging each other in my bedroom, I'll promise to sleep on a Common Room chair." He joked. Ron blushed even more.

"So, where were you?" Ron asked, trying to change the subject.

"Oh, you noticed I was gone?" Harry asked mock-surprised. Ron glared at him, which caused Harry to laugh again. "Only joking, mate." He said, once he stopped laughing.

"Well? Where were you?" he asked again.

"I had a little chat with Hermione on why she was avoiding me." He answered. Ron raised an eyebrow and smiled slyly. "And what did she say?" He asked.

"I told her that I understood that we didn't know what we were doing. She agreed and we shook hands over it." Harry replied. Ron looked at him with disbelief. "What did you guys _do_!" he asked. 'Oh, yeah.' Harry thought. 'Ron didn't know.'

"Oh, uh…well…" Harry started. "We almost kissed." He blurted out. This time Ron was laughing. "What the bloody hell are YOU laughing about?" Harry asked, angry. Ron stopped and said, "_Finally_!"

"What are you talking about?" he shouted.

"I thought it would never happen!" Ron exclaimed, panting from his laughter.

"What would never bloody happen?" Harry demanded. "You!" Ron answered. "And Hermione! Everyone _knew_ that you two fancied each other!"

"What the- Hermione and I are just friends!" he stated. "Right, mate." Ron said in a sarcastic tone. "And I will marry a Blast-Ended Skrewt."

Harry was about to say something, but Ron had already pulled his bed curtains closed and was fast asleep. Harry did the same.

* * *

It was the day of the dance, and Hermione was excited. She had found this amazing dress and matching mask. She put a spell on it so that it would disappear and she would be wearing her regular clothes. The dress was a strapless, silky, creamy colored floor-length dress that flared and the bottom. The mask was a lighter cream color, beautifully embroidered with pearls.

Hermione was going to take her bag with her school supplies and her mask just in case she had to do some writing. When it was 7:45, everyone was in the Common Room, dressed up in beautiful gowns. Hermione easily picked out Ginny, in a sky blue spaghetti-strapped floor-length gown talking to obviously Harry and Ron (She recognized them anywhere). Ginny saw her and waved. Hermione waved back and left.

Hermione got to the dungeons before Snape. She sat down at her usual seat and took out her quill, ink, and a roll of parchment. Then Snape came in.

"You can put those away." Snape said coldly, glancing at her supplies. "You will not be needing them."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You will be cleaning out my cabinet of potion ingredients." He replied, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"I will be patrolling the dance tonight, so I will be back at 12:00 sharp. Clean it well." He added, and with that he unlocked the cabinet and walked out the door.

"M-miss Granger?" a voice stammered. Hermione looked around. She looked down to find Dobby the house elf. "Dobby!" she exclaimed. "Thank goodness! You startled me."

Dobby had a look of horror on his face. "I did? Oh, bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!" he shouted, while banging his head on one of the tables.

"No, Dobby! It's ok!" she reassured, and he stopped. "Why are you here?"

"Well, seeing as you and Mr. Potter…" Dobby began, but he didn't need to finish. Hermione beamed.

"You're going to help me?" she asked excitedly.

"Of course!" he answered. "What has he assigned you to, exactly?" he asked. "He's making me clean the cabinet. Could you do that?" Hermione pleaded. Dobby's ears perked up. "Most certainly, miss!" he said.

Hermione hugged him. "Thank you, Dobby!" she exclaimed. "No problem."

Hermione muttered a spell, and in seconds she was in her beautiful gown. She pointed her wand to her hair and muttered another spell, which made it wavy instead of frizzy. She put lip gloss on and put on her mask. She slipped on her opera gloves the same color as her mask.

"Well, Dobby, how do I look?" she asked. "Most beautiful, miss!" he said, staring in awe. Hermione giggled. "Thank you, Dobby. See you later!" she thanked, waving. Dobby waved back as she headed out the door, and started cleaning.

When Hermione approached the doors to the Great Hall, she began to feel nervous. She looked around and saw a figure standing next to the doors. The figure had platinum blond hair with dark blue robes and a dark blue mask to match. He looked rather nervous as well. Hermione made her way towards him.

"So, Mr. Malfoy, Ginny hasn't come yet?" she asked with a grin on her face. Malfoy looked awe-struck. "Granger!" he asked, shocked.

"I thought we were on a first-name basis, Draco." She said, pretending to be hurt. Malfoy shook his head in disbelief. "Is that you?" he asked. Hermione nodded. "Now if you don't mind, I've got someone to find." She said, beaming. He nodded and went back to looking around for Ginny.

Hermione took a deep breath and opened the doors to the Great Hall.

* * *

A/N I'm sorry! –ducks from being hit by pointy objects- I didn't mean to! I know it's short and I left you on a cliffie, but I promise the next chapter will be longer! I promise. Just remember to review! Peace! 


	7. The Ball!

A/N: Hey people! Once again I am very sorry for the short-chapter-and-cliffie thing. I so promise that this chapter will be good and long. Just remember to review. If you love me you know you will  (hears crickets) ok I guess you don't. lol. Please review anyway!

Disclaimer: I don't own ANYTHING! Well, I might own one thing……oh yeah! I own an Easy-Bake Oven! Don't worry, I don't use it anymore…..

Well, to save me from an awkward silence, on with the story!

* * *

_Hermione took a deep breath and opened the doors to the Great Hall_

It was beautiful. The ceiling was bewitched to look like it was snowing. Pink and white roses could be seen everywhere. Everyone was dancing, sitting, laughing, and talking. Quite a few people turned to look at Hermione. She could see some guys' jaws drop at the sight of her. She blushed.

She was walking over the punch table when she spotted Ginny and Draco. She smiled to herself. They looked cute together, in her opinion.

Hermione went over to Ginny and tapped her shoulder. Ginny turned around, looking confused. "Uh…do I know you?" she asked. "Yes you do. And I'll give you a hint on who I am." She replied. Ginny tilted her head in curiosity. Hermione said something in her ear. "_Do you like the guy who met you at the doorway?_" she whispered. Ginny looked shocked, then squealed with delight. "Hermione!" she exclaimed slightly above a whisper. Hermione nodded. "I'd love to chat, but I'm looking for someone." Hermione said with a wink. Ginny giggled and nodded. Hermione started to walk around.

She stopped and looked around the room. She spotted Cho Chang. She was wearing a black silky floor length dress. She had her hair up in an elegant bun and was eyeing what Hermione thought was her at first. She looked behind her and saw the person she had been looking for. He wore a black robes and a white eye-mask(A/N you know, the ones that only cover your eyes). And he was staring _right at her_.

* * *

Harry was sitting at a table when he spotted her in the doorway. 'Wow, who is _that_?' he thought to himself. The girl was in a cream colored dress and wore a lighter cream colored mask. Her hair was chestnut-brown, long and wavy. And her figure! Harry couldn't help but stare. The girl was walking closer to him, but didn't notice him. It was when she looked back when she saw him.

Harry couldn't take it anymore. He had to talk to her. He got up from his seat and started to walk closer to the girl. She looked rooted to the spot, not saying a word. Within seconds he was right in front of her. He held out his hand. "Would you like to dance?" he asked.

She looked up at him, amazed. She nodded and took his hand. He smiled and led her to the dance floor. His heart was beating madly. The Weird Sisters were singing a slow song. The girl wrapped her arms around his neck. He put his hands on her waist.

"So, who are you?" he asked, grinning. The girl smiled. "Mr. Potter, you know I can't tell you that." She replied. Harry's eyes widened. "Am I _that_ obvious?" he asked the girl. The girl nodded and laughed.

"Well, seeing as you must know about the bloody Boy-Who-Lived-" he stated, but the girl cut him off.

"I don't care if you're the Boy-Who-Lived." She said calmly. "I only care about who you really are. _On the inside._"

Harry was taken aback. This girl didn't care about his fame, fortune, or Quidditch skills, or anything like that.

"Oh." Was all he could say. The girl giggled.

"I'm still allowed to ask what year you're in." Harry said with a grin. "Sixth year." She answered. For the next few moments, all they could do was stare in each other's eyes. Harry could have sworn he recognized those beautiful brown eyes somewhere, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"You remind me of someone, you know." Harry said, breaking the silence.

* * *

Hermione gulped. 'Did he know?' she thought. "I-I do?" she asked nervously.

"Yeah. I can't remember who." He replied. Hermione sighed with relief. Silence again.

A few moments later, an unwelcomed girl had come up to Harry and Hermione.

"Hello, Harry." Cho greeted, giving him a warm smile. She looked over to Hermione. "Uh, do you mind?" she asked coldly. Hermione had a slightly amused expression on her face. "Excuse me?" she asked politely.

"Me and Harry are talking." She replied. She turned to him. "Harry, do you want to dance?"

"Um, no thank you. I'm kind of dancing with someone else, in case you haven't noticed." Harry answered simply. Cho had a look of hurt on her face. She glared at Hermione and walked off. Hermione couldn't help but giggle.

"Why are you laughing?" Harry asked, confused.

"I'm laughing at that girl." Hermione said, still giggling. "She is so full of herself."

Harry chuckled. "Yeah, you're telling me. She actually kissed me once." He said, looking bemused. Hermione looked down. She did _not_ want to hear this, but she tried to stay polite.

"O-Oh, she d-did?" she asked. Harry nodded. "Yep. Wasn't nice at all, though. I mean, she was crying the whole time." Harry shook his head. Hermione's mood brightened. 'So he _didn't_ like Cho! Oh, this is too good to be true!' she thought.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that." She said, not sounding sorry at all. Harry seemed to read her mind.

"You don't sound it." Harry teased. Hermione turned slightly pink. "Well, to tell you the truth, I'm quite glad it didn't turn out so great." She said honestly. He grinned slyly. "Oh, and why is that?" he asked coyly.

"Because then I wouldn't be dancing here with you." She answered simply. 'I cannot believe I just said that!' she thought in disbelief. She turned slightly more pink, and she saw that Harry had as well.

After a minute or two, he asked, "Why don't you tell me who you are?"

"I'm not allowed." She answered sweetly.

"Well, can you at least give me a couple of hints?"

"Well…" Hermione replied thoughtfully. "Maybe."

"Maybe?" he asked, smirking.

"Yes, maybe." She repeated.

There was silence again. Hermione looked to the side. She saw Malfoy and Ginny dancing near them. They were both laughing and talking. Ginny saw Hermione, then glanced at Harry. Ginny gave Hermione a wink. Hermione beamed. She felt Harry's eyes on her and looked at him. 'He has the most gorgeous green eyes.' She thought dreamily.

"What are you thinking?" Harry asked. Hermione smiled up to him.

"Just that you have the most gorgeous green eyes." She responded honestly. She watched him go red. Hermione giggled. "And what are you thinking?" she asked him.

Harry was silent for a moment, then he said, "Just that I'm dancing with the most beautiful girl at the ball."

This time Hermione blushed. "I'm not really that beautiful." She stated modestly. "I mean, not as beautiful as Cho Chang-"

"Hey, listen!" Harry exclaimed, putting a finger to her lips. "Who cares about Cho Chang? _You_ are beautiful. It doesn't matter about outward appearance. It's about the inside. Like you said earlier." He added with a twinkle in his eye. Hermione blushed.

"Do you want to go outside?" he asked politely. Hermione beamed and nodded. They walked hand-in-hand into the garden.

As they were walking out, Harry plucked a white rose and handed it to Hermione. She smiled and accepted it. Harry beamed. They walked over by the fountain and watched it for a while.

Once again Hermione felt Harry's eyes on her. She gave him a curious look. "Why are you staring at me like that?" she asked.

"Because I feel like I know you from somewhere, but I can't remember." He replied. Hermione looked up to him and smiled warmly.

"You do know who I am." She said, barely above a whisper.

"Oh, I do?" he asked slyly. Hermione nodded. "Are you any of my close friends?" he asked curiously. Hermione's heart stopped. 'What am I supposed to say to that?' she thought nervously.

"Oh…um…I guess you could say that…" she answered slowly. "W-who are your closest friends?"

"Well, excluding all the boys, I would have to say Luna Lovegood, Ginny Weasley and…" he kept thinking. "…Hermione Granger."

"Oh." Was all she could say.

"Are you one of them?" he asked coyly.

"I will not say that I am or am not." She replied. She didn't want Harry to know that she was Hermione just yet!

"Why not?"

"Like I said, I can't tell you." She replied. Harry turned to her. She did the same to him.

"Well, whoever you are, it's ok with me." He stated. They started to get closer. Hermione could feel her face growing hot as their faces got closer. She closed her eyes as he leaned in and kissed her.

Hermione felt dizzy from kissing Harry. It was the most wonderful sensation! She wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his around her waist. It wasn't a passionate kiss. Just a light, sweet kiss.

Suddenly, they heard the tower clock chime. Hermione broke away from the kiss and looked fearfully and the clock. Midnight!

"I-I have to go!" she exclaimed, trying to let go of Harry. But Harry didn't let go. She finally broke free and started to run. "Wait!" Hermione heard him call to her. "Where are you going?"

But Hermione couldn't call back. She saw Snape trotting back to the Great Hall doors, going back to the dungeons. Oh, no!

* * *

Draco saw Snape going back to the doors. He glanced around fearfully and saw Hermione staring at Snape. Hermione glanced at Draco. She mouthed the word 'Help!' he nodded.

"Ginny, I've got to go help Hermione." He explained. Ginny nodded in understanding. He ran over to Snape. "Professor!" he yelled. Snape turned to him.

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy?" he asked curtly.

"Uh, Peeves is smashing all the tea cups in Professor Trelawny's room!" he said quickly. He had bribed Peeves to do this at midnight, for Fred and George Weasley, whom Peeves had been oh-so loyal to since they left Hogwarts.

"Oh, I will go stop him, I suppose." He sighed. Draco nodded. As Snape went out the door, Hermione stepped in front of Draco.

"Thank you." She muttered.

"Sure. Just don't mention this to anybody." He added. Hermione nodded and ran out of the door.

* * *

Hermione was sprinting to the dungeons. Suddenly, her beautiful dress disappeared and she was back in her pink sweatshirt and jeans. Her hair went back from being wavy to frizzy. Now she _really_ needed to get back to the dungeon as quickly as possible, or else Snape would catch her!

She finally made it to the dungeon, to find Dobby dusting off the tables and chairs.

"Ms. Granger! You're back! How was the ball?" he asked excitedly. Hermione smiled, panting. "Wonderful!" she exclaimed.

"Ms. Granger! Your mask!" Dobby pointed.

"Oh, right!"

She quickly took off the mask and put it in her bag. She smeared the lip gloss off with her sleeve.

"There. Now Dobby, you need to leave. Thank you for doing this for me!" she thanked. Dobby shrugged.

"No problem, Miss." He said, and snapped his fingers. In a moment, he vanished.

A minute later, Snape came in. Hermione had taken over the job of dusting. Snape looked shocked.

"Ms. Granger? Are you actually dusting my classroom?" he asked. "Yes, well I finished the cabinet, so I had to do something." She replied. Harry might not think she was a good liar, but Snape was slightly more daft, in her opinion.

Snape checked the cabinet. Everything was organized and cleaner.

"Well, Ms. Granger, I guess you can go. You've had enough punishment for one night."

Harry looked around for the girl. 'Where is she?' he thought frantically. He glanced around

* * *

and found Ron. He quickly ran over to him. He was dancing with Lavender, his ears slightly pink.

"Ron!" Harry exclaimed. "Have you seen that girl?"

Ron looked puzzled. "What girl?"

"The girl I was with. Did you see her running through here?" he asked anxiously. Ron shrugged. "Sorry, mate. Didn't see her. She ran off?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. One moment, we were…er…" he didn't want to tell Ron they kissed just yet. "…Talking….and the next, she runs off telling me that she has to leave somewhere!"

"That bites, mate. Sorry, I haven't seen her." Ron said sympathetically. Harry sighed and walked around, looking for the mystery girl. 'Where could she be?' he thought to himself. 'She didn't even tell me who she was!'

Cho came up to him. "Hi, Harry. See you've dumped that one girl off." She added snootily.

"Actually, she kind of ran off. I've been looking for her." He corrected. Cho looked slightly taken aback by this.

"Well, would you rather dance with me, instead?" she asked, smiling sweetly at Harry. He looked at her. "No thank you, Cho." He said politely. Cho now looked a little angry and stormed off. He didn't care. He wanted to find that girl badly!

After a while of looking for her, he heard Dumbledore speak.

"Ladies and Gentleman! It is now !2:30, and you may all remove your masks!" she shouted delightedly. Everyone took off their masks. Some people gasps, and most people started chatting instantly. Harry saw Malfoy and Ginny take off their mask. Ginny looked shocked and Malfoy looked down at his shoes. Then Ginny gave him a light kiss on the cheek and he blushed. Harry took off his mask and headed out the door, partially hoping to run into the mystery girl.

He ran to the Portrait Hole. "_Petrificus Totalus_!" he panted. The Portrait swung open and he climbed through. He found Hermione sitting on the couch reading _Standard Book of Spells_. She looked over and found Harry standing there.

"Hi, Harry! What happened at the ball?" she asked. Harry smiled and plopped down on the couch next to her. He started to tell her everything.

"I met this amazing girl!" he started, with excitement in his voice. "She was smart, funny, caring, and really beautiful. We danced and went outside. But then she ran off! She didn't even tell me her name!" he blurted out. To his surprise, Hermione was smiling. "What?" he asked. Hermione shook her head. "Nothing." She said. She closed her book and climbed up the girls' staircase. Harry stared in the fire, thinking about the mystery girl and Hermione.

'What was that all about?' he asked to himself mentally, as people started to climb through the Portrait Hole.

* * *

Hermione squealed with delight. "He thought I was beautiful! Me! And I kissed him! This is too wonderful! I think I could jump for joy!" she exclaimed. This time, she actually did jump for joy. That is, until she heard footsteps coming up the staircase.

She hurried up and went to her bed and pulled out her book again. She pretended to read just when Lavender and Parvati came in.

"That was amazing!" Lavender said dreamily.

"How was your date with Ron?" she asked politely. Lavender beamed and blushed. "He kissed me!" she blurted out. "And I danced with Terry Boot!" Parvati squealed. 'And I kissed Harry Potter!' she thought excitedly.

She got changed for bed and went happily to sleep.

* * *

A/N Well, there you go. A nice, long, chapter just as I promised. How do you like it? I hope you do, I spent _forever_ on it! Please review! No tomatoes or grapefruits, please! (Or pointy objects!) –ducks for cover-

P.S. Sorry it took so long. I've had homework and the site wouldn't let me log on yesterday!


	8. It's Christmas!

A/N: Oh my gosh! I'm so happy a lot of people reviewed! So I want to send a shout out on all the people who reviewed! To Ame no Majo, Aevum, Oro, IdUnNoXx, RonluvHermione, violin girl, call me britt, shire chick, harry's-girl07, JCAL, utterbliss, TwitchythePsycho (my friend Matt), and Atled Willy: A BIG, MONSTUROUS, GIGANTIC, HUMONGOUS THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING! I soooo appreciate it!

Disclaimer: Wahhh! You know why I'm crying? Because I'm not J. K. Rowling, that's why! I don't own any of these characters. I own a Happy Bunny poster, but that's it. (Besides the Easy Bake Oven I mentioned in a previous chapter…)

On with the story! Before someone hits me or something! YAY! Lol.

* * *

Harry sat there, puzzled. 'Why did Hermione act that way?' he thought. 'I don't get it. She went to detention with that old git Snape, and she sits her with a smile plastered on her face!' 

"Harry, are you all right?" asked a familiar voice. Harry looked to his side to see Ron sit on the couch next to him. "Yeah, Ron." Harry mumbled. "Just thinking about that girl. This was partly true. He _was_ wondering about the girl. Where did she head off to?

"Oh, yeah. Her." Ron muttered. "So, did you have fun with her?" he quizzed with a sly grin. Harry smiled. "Well…yeah, I guess…"

"Did you kiss?"

This question caught Harry off-guard. He hadn't expected Ron to ask it. Harry began to fiddle with his hands. "Well…um…" he started. Ron's grin became wider. "You did, didn't you?" Ron urged. Harry went red. He slightly nodded. Ron snorted with laughter.

"What's so funny?" Harry demanded, giving Ron an angry look.

"Nothing, mate. Nothing." He assured. Harry could tell it was not nothing, but he let it slide. Instead, he decided to ask Ron about his night.

"Well, Ron, how was your night with Lavender? Huh? Did YOU kiss?" Harry grinned. Ron turned slightly pink. "It was, um, alright." He answered. "And, yes, we did."

This time Harry laughed, making Ron turn red.

"Well, it's getting late. We'd better get to bed if we want to wake up tomorrow. It's going to be Christmas Day!" Ron exclaimed, trying to change the subject.

"Oh, yeah. What did you get Lavender, Ron?" Harry asked smugly. "Mistletoe?"

Ron glared at Harry. Harry darted for the boys' staircase. Ron chased him all the way up to their dormitory. Harry howled with laughter the whole time.

* * *

_Harry came toward Hermione. Her heart was beating just about three times its normal speed. He smiled down at her. Hermione gulped. They were both in their costumes. Only she was the only one with a mask. She managed to smile back. Their faces were now a centimeter apart. His hands reached to her mask. He slowly took it off. His smile got wider. He cupped her face in his hands and enveloped her in a deep, passionate kiss. Hermione's arms went around his neck. She felt the same tingling sensation she did at the ball. After a moment they pulled apart. "Harry, I love you." She whispered. Harry beamed once more. "I love you too, Hermione." He sighed. He leaned down to give her another kiss…_

Hermione woke up smiling. Then the smile faded. "Drats!" she huffed. "What a wonderful dream!"

She got up from her bed and looked out of the window. "Too bad it will never happen." She sighed. "I wonder," she thought out loud, making sure not to wake up Parvati or Lavender. "If the same thing would happen if he knew it was me behind the mask. I mean, would he still kiss me? Would we be together like that? Would he have turned down Cho for me? Or would he have run away from me and go snog Cho?"

Hermione sighed again. And, just as she feared, the pesky voice rose up once more.

_Isn't it obvious?_ It asked her. _He'd run! I'm surprised he would even glance at you! Cho is way better looking than you will ever be!_

"Whose side are you on, anyway?" Hermione demanded quietly. The voice laughed.

_Your side, of course. But you have to face reality. He is not yours. He was never yours. He will never be yours. You have to face the facts. _It explained, but Hermione had had enough.

"I don't think you are really on my side at all! I think you might be Cho breaking into my thoughts!" she argued. Again, the voice laughed in amusement.

_Don't be daft. Cho may be pretty, but she's no smarter than Neville. _

"Just leave me alone, will you?" she grumbled. _Fine._ It replied. _Just think about what I said…_

Then the voice disappeared. Hermione remembered something.

"Oh, my gosh! It's Christmas!" she realized. She quickly dressed in a white fuzzy sweater and jeans anddescended the girls' staircase.

* * *

_The girl sat out in the garden, in her beautiful costume and mask. Harry's heart leaped in his throat. He had to talk to her. Had to find out who she was. She turned to him, smiling. "Hello, Harry." She greeted. Harry nodded. "Hi." He breathed. He walked over to her. She stood up, staring into his eyes. 'Those beautiful brown eyes.' He thought dreamily. 'Where have I seen them before?' Then, without warning, she put her arms around him and caught his lips with hers in a deep, passionate kiss. He wrapped him arms around her waist. His thoughts were mixed together. He slowly pulled away and lifted his hands to her mask. He knew she could stop him at any moment. She didn't bother to protest. She only looked up to him, expectantly. He was slowly pulling the mask off when…_

"HARRY, WAKE UP!" he heard someone bellow from the foot of his bed. His eyes shot open and saw Hermione grinning from ear to ear. He frowned and pulled the blanket over his head. "Hermione, it's too early! I'm tired! I want to go back to sleep!" he protested. Hermione went to the side of the bed and leaned over where his head was. She yanked the blanket off his head. "It's 9:30! And it's Christmas, you prat!" she chirped. Harry looked up at her. She didn't move. Harry blinked. 'She's beautiful…no wait! Stop it! You don't like her! She is just a friend!' he scolded himself.

Hermione stood straight up, slightly pink. "Uh, happy Christmas, Harry." She muttered.

"Happy Christmas, Hermione." He replied. He looked down to the foot of his bed and saw a pile of presents. Not as big as Ron's, but still pretty large.

"Well, get up! I'll wake Ron." Hermione chimed. Harry nodded. Hermione went over to Ron's bed.

"Ron, get up! It's Christmas!" she announced. Ron stirred a little. He groaned. "Five more minutes, Mum." He responded sleepily. He went back to his deep snoring. Hermione shook him. "You git! Get up!" she laughed. Ron still didn't get up. Hermione glanced around, trying to figure out how to wake up Ron. Harry chuckled.

"Here, let me try." He offered. Hermione turned to him and nodded, smiling. Harry grinned evilly and crept up to Ron. He took his two fingers and made them walk across him face. "Ron!" he yelped. "Spider!"

Ron shot up from his bed, screaming "HELP! GET IT OFF ME! GET IT OFF OF ME, SOMEBODY!" and getting tangled up in his sheets. He fell over in his sheet-cocoon and hit the floor hard. Hermione and Harry burst into laughter. Ron glared at Harry.

"Harry, that was not funny!" Ron retorted, throwing the sheets off of him. "It wasn't? Well then, why are we laughing?" Harry said between each laugh. Hermione laughed even harder. Ron growled. "Shut up!" he shouted. Harry and Hermione stopped laughing. "Sorry, Ron, but it was the only way to get you up." Hermione consoled.

"Yeah, right." Ron grumbled. His anger disappeared as he glanced over at his pile of presents. "Oh, it's Christmas!" he exclaimed. Harry rolled his eyes. "No, really? I thought it was Easter!" he scoffed sarcastically. Everyone laughed. Even Ron.

* * *

Hermione, Harry, Ron, Lavender, Ginny, and Draco (much to Ron's dislike) went down to breakfast together. They weren't really sure why Draco was being so nice. Maybe because he was with Ginny now. 

Hermione kept shooting looks at Harry. He was so great looking. Those emerald green eyes…that raven-black, unruly hair…

"Hermione, are you all right?" Ron questioned. Hermione nodded. "Yes. Perfectly fine." She assured dreamily. They all sat down at the Gryffindor table. Even Draco. Everyone was talking and laughing. Hermione glanced at the two couples. She saw Ron and Lavender holding hands and she saw Ginny give Draco a kiss on the cheek. She sighed sadly. She had no one. No one would want her.

"I'm going to go back to the Common Room." Hermione stated, standing up. Everyone glanced and nodded. Harry looked up. "What for? You've barely eaten anything." He asked. Hermione shrugged. "I'm not that hungry." She lied. And with that she walked off.

* * *

Hermione curled up on couch in front of the fire with her book _Hogwarts, a History_. She loved reading it, even though she had about a hundred times. It was soothing for her. 

About an hour later she heard someone come through the Portrait Hole, but didn't bother to look. She just kept reading the book.

"Hermione?" Harry asked. She looked up. Harry was standing behind the couch. "Yes?" she responded.

"We're all going outside for a snowball fight. So get your stuff." He added. Hermione giggled.

"And what makes you think I'll go, Harry?" she asked playfully. He grinned. "Because I'm your friend and you know you can't say no to me." He said. Hermione giggled. 'It's true.' She thought. 'I can't say no to him.'

"Alright, alright. I'll be down in a minute." She agreed.

A few minutes later Hermione came down in her blue jacket and her multicolored hat with matching gloves and scarf. Harry was standing at the Portrait Hole, waiting.

"Ready?" he asked her. Hermione nodded. She looked up and her eyes widened. She and Harry were under mistletoe!

"Oh, um, Harry…" Hermione stammered, pointing up. Harry looked up to the mistletoe and his eyes, too, widened. "Oh…well, um…"

"You don't have to-" she started, but stopped when Harry gave her a light peck on the cheek. They both blushed. "Oh, um…" Hermione gulped. "Let's go."

"Yeah." Harry agreed. They headed out of the Portrait Hole and outside.

* * *

(A/N STILL Hermione's POV) 

They all went inside, soaked. Hermione had a blast! She managed to hit everyone. They all laughed when she nailed Ron right on the forehead and he fell right on his back to the ground. Of course, Lavender helped him get up and kissed the spot where Hermione hit him with the snowball, which only made Hermione sadder.

'There's no one that I can help up and kiss the spot where someone hit them.' She thought in despair. 'If only Harry were mine…' but her thoughts were interrupted when Harry hit her with a snow ball on the back of her neck. She had chased him and tackled him and shoved his face in the snow. He started chasing her. Everyone laughed.

Then, after a while, everyone went inside. They decided to open up their presents.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione went up to the boys' dormitories to open their presents. Hermione bewitched her presents to fly up there.

Hermione had gotten a light blue sweater and three pounds of homemade fudge from Mrs. Weasley, new quills and parchment from Ron, a romance novel from Ginny, a gold necklace from her parents, and a leather journal from Harry. She had given Harry and Ron Rememberalls just in case they forgot there homework or something. She also gave Harry a box of Every-Flavor Beans and Ron a huge box of Chocolate Frogs. They were very pleased with these gifts.

Later, Hermione and Ginny were hanging out in Hermione's room.

"I don't know, Ginny. I don't think he likes me like that, anyway." She confided to her best friend. Ginny sighed.

"He liked the mystery girl, didn't he? If he likes her, he's bound to like you!" she explained. Hermione's mood lifted a little.

"You really think so?" she asked wishfully. Ginny nodded. "I know so." She declared, raising her nose in the air.

"How should I get his attention?" she asked. Ginny thought hard. Then she noticed something on the floor. A piece of paper Hermione had dropped earlier.

"Hermione, what's this?" she asked, picking up the piece of paper, reading it. Hermione flushed.

"I wrote that poem earlier. It's nothing, really." She answered modestly. She tried taking it from Ginny's hands, but Ginny pulled away.

"Hermione, this is amazing!" she exclaimed. Her eyes widened. "You could send Harry some poetry in a secret admirer's letter!"

Hermione gasped. "Ginny, you're brilliant!" she yelped. "But what id he doesn't think it's any good?"

"I know I am." Ginny boasted. "And don't worry, Hermione! He'll love it!"

Hermione beamed. She found a scrap piece of parchment and began writing a secret admirer's letter to Harry.

* * *

A/N: Hi! I hope you like this chapter! Please review it!

Oh and by the way, I've gotten a bunch of reviews asking "When will she reveal herself?" or "Will Harry find out who she is?" Well don't worry. You'll find out in the end (or the near end….you'll just have to see!)

Don't forget to review. Pretend that each review keeps me alive. You don't want me to die, do you? If I do, who's going to type the rest of the story? Don't let me die! Peace! Lol.


	9. Letters and A Git Named Ron

A/N: Hi! It's me! Your favorite author EVER! (Hears crickets again)…oh come on now! Oh well lol. Anyway, thank you to all who reviewed. Thank you, Aevum, for not wanting me to die! I live! Lol.

Disclaimer: Hey guess what! I'm J. K. Rowling. APRIL FOOLS! Lol. Wait, April Fool's Day is over…oh well. I'm STILL not J. K. Rowling. None of these characters are mine. And all I own is a Happy Bunny poster and an Easy Bake Oven (Which I don't use!).

Well, on with chapter 9! w00t!

* * *

The next day, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were in the Common Room, doing their homework. Harry looked up and saw Hermione scribbling furiously on a piece of parchment and smiled. 'Why do I feel this way for her?' he asked himself. 'I mean, she's Hermione. Just Hermione.'

The voice inside his head popped up. _You know,_ it started. _She just may like you back._

'No she wouldn't!' Harry protested. 'And what's that nonsense? "Might like me back"? I don't even like her!'

_Or do you?_ It suggested mysteriously. Harry considered this for a moment and looked back up at Hermione. She was still writing, occasionally stopping, making a face, scribbling something out, and started to write again. He looked back down to his work, not really paying attention to it.

'No. No way. I don't like Hermione. She may be smart, funny, kind, considerate, understanding, attractive…wait, no!' he thought fearfully. 'She's NOT attractive! Well, she is, just not to me! I mean, she attractive to everyone, but I don't see her that way!'

_You're babbling, Harry._ The voice stated.

'I know I'm bloody babbling!' he yelled. The voice chuckled. _Then why are you babbling?_ It wondered.

"I don't know!' he protested. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of Ron's voice.

"Hermione, can I borrow your homework you're working on there?" Ron asked. Hermione's eyes widened. "It's not homework." She stated, showing no emotion on her face. Ron looked confused. "Hermione Granger…not doing homework? Yeah, right. You probably don't want to show me because it's copying…" he said, reaching for her parchment. But Hermione yanked it away. "No, Ron!" she roared. "It's not homework! I'm serious." She added, seeing the disbelieving look on Ron's face. "Actually," she continued. "It's a letter to someone."

Ron's eyes bulged out of his head. "A letter!" he demanded. "To who? Bloody Vicky Krum?"

"His name is not Vicky! And I don't think that it is any of your business of who I write to." She stood, anger in her voice. Ron shot up, too.

"Well, you better not be writing to Krum, or-"

"Or what exactly, Ronald?" she snapped, glaring at him. Harry just sat there, shocked. _Had_ she been writing to Krum? Did she still fancy him? Did she _ever_ fancy him?

Ron just stood there, fists clenched. He was obviously trying to think of something to say to that remark. His ears turned a dangerous red. No one said a thing for a minute.

"_Have_ you been writing to Vick- I mean, Krum?" Ron asked calmly. Hermione's face softened, but she still looked furious. "That is none of your business, Ron." She told him.

"IT'S BLOODY WELL MY BUSINESS!" he bellowed. His ears had turned redder than his hair. Harry flinched at this. Ron was taking it too far. It was only a matter of time before Hermione REALLY blew a fuse…

"NO IT IS NOT, RONALD WEASLEY! JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T LIKE VICTOR BECAUSE HE LIKED ME IN 4TH YEAR DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU CAN TELL ME WHO TO WRITE TO! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO I AM WRITING TO! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TELL ME WHO I CAN AND CANNOT TALK TO!" Hermione shouted.

"HE WAS USING YOU TO GET ANSWERS TO WIN THE TOURNAMENT! TO GET TO HARRY! HE'S A BLOODY GIT AND-"

"HE WAS NOT USING ME, RONALD, AND YOU VERY WELL KNOW THAT! AND YOU SHOULDN'T MAKE ACCUSATIONS WHEN YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE A CLUE! I NEVER LIKED VICTOR, ANYWAY! HE WAS THE ONE WHO LIKED ME!" she screamed. They were attracting a lot of attention in the Common Room, but Ron and Hermione seemed to care less. Harry, on the other hand, slumped in his chair, trying to avoid all the stares.

"Could you guys please just _stop_?" he asked quietly and pleadingly.

Hermione turned to look at Harry. He flinched again. Her face was full of anger and rage and her teeth and fists were clenched. She looked as if she were about to attack. She turned back to Ron.

"rONALD, YOU ARE AN INSUFFERABLE, INTOLLERABLE, NON-NEGOTIABLE, ATROCIOUS, ARROGANT, ANNOYING, LOATHSOME BLOODY PRAT WHO NEEDS TO KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT!" she bellowed. She then grabbed her parchment, quills and ink and stormed up to the girls' staircase. Ron let out a scream of frustration and plopped on the couch. Harry sat there, shocked. His eyes were wide and his mouth was slightly agape.

"Bloody women." Ron muttered. They both went back to their work.

* * *

Hermione lay on her bed seething with anger. 'That bloody prat!' she thought. 'He has no right to accuse me of something like that!' She stared up at the ceiling, thinking about what had just happened. 'Oh, I hope Harry is still my friend after that.' She thought hopefully.

Then Ginny came into her room. "Hermione? Are you alright? I just heard you and Ron down in the Common Room. That sounded like the worst row yet!" she exclaimed.

"Gee, no kidding." Hermione mumbled. She shook her head. "Ginny, I'm sorry. It's just that-"

"That my brother is 'an insufferable, intolerable, non-negotiable, atrocious, arrogant, loathsome bloody prat who needs to keep his mouth shut.'" Ginny mimicked. Hermione giggled. "Yeah, that just about wraps it up." Hermione joked. Ginny sat on the bed. "You forgot 'stubborn and pigheaded', too." Ginny noted. They both laughed. "So what WERE you working on down there in the Common Room?" she asked curiously. Hermione beamed and showed her the secret admirer's letter to Harry. Ginny's jaw dropped once she had finished reading.

"Wow, Hermione!" she exclaimed in awe. "This is _amazing_!"

Hermione blushed. "I guess so," she agreed. Ginny grinned. "Send it with Hedwig." She offered. Hermione nodded.

She walked out to find Hedwig in the Owl Post. She found her and strapped the letter to her leg. "Now, Hedwig, I want you to take this letter to Harry, alright?" she asked Hedwig politely. She hooted, obviously stating that she understood. She flew off into the night. Hermione stood there for a few moments, then went back to the castle.

* * *

Harry woke up to a loud _tap tap tap _on the window. He got up lazily and saw Hedwig outside. He opened the window and let her in. He took the letter and stroked her a few times, his eyes on the envelope. Harry opened it up and read. His eyes went wide. "Ron!" he yelled. "Wake up!"

Ron shot up. "What?" he asked, looking around. Harry showed him the letter. "Read this!" he said half excited, half shocked. Ron read and his eyes, too, widened. It read:

_My Dearest Harry,_

_You may wonder who is sending this to you. But I will not say. But I have written you a poem. It is called Light. _

_Many a day  
I see  
I see light  
Sweet Light  
Light that  
Fills the heart  
Plenty  
It fills me so  
So much  
Sweet bright  
Light in which  
I run  
To,  
But never seem  
Closer  
I yearn to hold  
That Light  
Embrace it,  
Carrace it  
The Light that  
Lifts you off  
The floor of your  
Soul  
To your heart's  
Sky  
The Light that  
Dims the stars  
In the night sky  
And they only  
Palely flicker in  
Envy  
The Light that  
Fills the mind of  
Its beauty  
Only, while  
Empties everything  
Else  
The Light that  
Causes your  
Heart to pound  
The inside of  
Your chest hard,  
Trying to break  
Free to gaze  
Upon the Light _

Yeah...  
That Light

_I hope that you like. I also have something to say._

_Harry, I love you._

_With all my love,_

_Your admirer_

Harry's hands were figiting. Someone _loved_ him? Harry Potter? And who wrote that poem? It was beautiful! He had never heard anything like that in his life. Not that he had heard much poetry, but still, it was nice.

"Wicked poem." Ron finally broke the silence. "Yeah." Harry agreed. "I wonder who sent it.

* * *

A/N: Hi! I hope you liked that story! And yes I did write the poem. I don't really think it was THAT good, but please tell me what you think of the poem AND the story! That means…..please review! I'll give you a cookie! (If I get any) 


	10. Another Letter

A/N: Hi! Me again! Thank you to all who reviewed. You all get cookies! –throws cookies to everyone who reviewed- thank you! And for those who didn't, please please PLEASE review! Oh, and thank you all who said the poetry was good! I appreciate it!

Disclaimer: Even though no one would believe that I'm J. K. Rowling, I'll say this anyway : I am NOT J. K. Rowling. I do NOT own any of these characters. Now leave me and my Easy Bake Oven and Happy Bunny poster in peace!

Lol. Back to the story! YAY!

* * *

Harry dazed off for most of the day. Someone loved him! He could hardly believe it. they were walking over to the Great Hall. Ron was going on about something about Quidditch, but Harry didn't pay much attention. He was almost positive that the person who sent this was the girl he danced with at the ball. Then again, it could all be a prank. By who, though? Most likely a Slytherin. But how could a Slytherin write poetry like that? He supposed there might be some poets in Slytherin, but was shook out of his thoughts when they arrived at the Gryffindor table. Hermione sat there, reading a rather thick book. Harry could have sworn she didn't know they were even there, until she mumbled, "'Morning, Ron. 'Morning, Harry."

Ron yawned. "'Morning, 'Mione." Harry did the same. Harry helped himself to some toast when Ron said, "Guess what Harry got from Hedwig this morning, Hermione!"

Harry dropped his toast. "Ron!" Harry snapped. He elbowed Ron in the side. "Ow! Hey!" Ron protested, but Hermione looked up curiously. "What did he get from Hedwig?" she asked, sounding only mildly interested. It seemed that the fight that she and Ron had never happened.

"Oh, um, it's nothing." Harry said quickly. Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Come on, Harry. Tell me." She urged. He sighed. "Alright, fine." He gave in. "I got this letter from Hedwig and inside was a poem and the person who wrote it said that they loved me." He explained.

"Do you know who it is?" she asked politely. Harry shook his head. "No. They just signed it, 'Your Admirer.'" He answered. Hermione shrugged. "Maybe you should write back."

* * *

Hermione couldn't believe that she said this. 'What am I thinking!' she thought fearfully. 'Why did I tell him to do that? Stupid, stupid, stupid!' she scolded herself mentally. She saw Ron's face light up. "Yeah! That's a great idea, Hermione!" he exclaimed. 'Oh, no!' she moaned mentally. "He could send it back with Hedwig! How about it, Harry?" Ron asked Harry with a huge grin. Harry shrugged. "It's worth a shot." He answered. Hermione bit her lip nervously.

"Well," she started. "I-I have some…some work to do." She finished. "I'll se you two later." And with that she walked quickly out of the Great Hall. "I wonder what that was all about." Ron said, puzzled.

* * *

Harry was sitting in the Common Room. He was staring blankly at a piece of parchment, wondering what to say in the letter he was going to write to his admirer. 'Maybe I should tell her that I liked the poem.' He thought. He heard footsteps coming towards him, but didn't bother to look up to see who it was. He was too preoccupied with what he was going to write.

"Harry?" Hermione asked. "What are you doing?" She came and sat in a chair across from Harry. Harry looked up. Her hair was glowing from the light of the fire. She sat there, looking at him with a blank face that he couldn't read. "Nothing. Just thinking about what I should write to this mystery girl." He relied honestly. She sighed. "Oh," she said quietly, looking in the fire.

"Hermione, are you alright?" Harry asked, concerned. Hermione shook her head slowly. "Nothing's wrong. Just a bit tired, that's all." She assured. "Don't worry about me. You have enough to worry about." She added.

"Hermione, you're my best friend. I _have_ to worry about you. And Ron." He added hastily. Hermione smiled, still staring into the fire, and Harry still staring at her. No one said anything for a few moments. Harry was in some sort of trance. There was something about those eyes he remembered…

"Well, Harry, I'm off to bed." She yawned. She stood up and stretched. "Ill see you tomorrow." She added, walking to the staircase. Harry nodded. "You, too." He replied, looking back down to his parchment. After a few minutes of thinking, he began to write.

* * *

_Harry walked towards Hermione with long strides. Hermione's heartbeat quickened. He took her hand and said, "Hermione, I've known it was you all along. And I am glad that it was you." He breathed. "Because I could never love someone as much as I do you." Hermione looked up to his emerald green orbs. "Oh, Harry!" she exclaimed happily. "I love you, too!" and with that he leaned forward and gave her a kiss like the one at the ball. Not passionate, but sweet. They pulled apart and smiled at each other. Hermione heard a soft 'tap, tap, tap'_.

Hermione's eyes shot open, looking around. "Another good dream interrupted!" she exclaimed. She glanced at Lavender's clock. "Well, at least it's not the middle of the night!" she added, seeing as it read 8:17. She heard the soft tapping again and looked over to her window. Hedwig was sitting outside with a letter strapped to her leg. Hermione held her breath. She opened the window and let Hedwig inside, taking the letter of of her leg. Inside it read:

_Dear Admirer,_

_I do not know what to say. Your poetry is beautiful and I am flattered that I have an admirer. I wish I could say that I love you, too, but I do not know who you are. Maybe you could tell me. I wish you would._

_Harry_

Hermione's heart stopped. She didn't want him to know. Not just yet. Maybe she could give him clues to her identity. 'Yes, that's it!' she thought. 'I'll give him clues in a poem!' and with that she began to write.

* * *

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all sitting at the Gryffindor Table for lunch. After breakfast, Ron and Harry played Wizard's Chess and Hermione snuggled up with a book near the fire. Then they went down to lunch.

Owls started pouring in the Great Hall. The Daily Prophet landed in front of Hermione and she paid the owl a Knut. Ron got nothing, and a letter dropped in front of Harry. He looked down at it with wide eyes. "What is it, Harry?" Hermione asked, knowing perfectly well what it was. After he read it, Ron snatched it. His eyes looked as if they were to pop out of Ron's head. "H-Hermione!" he exclaimed. "Read this!"

Hermione took the letter. Inside it read:

_Dearest Harry,_

_I cannot tell you who I am. Not just yet. Instead, I will give you clues as to who I am in this poem. It is called "Girl in the Mask"_

_I will forever remain a mystery_

_Though you know who I am_

_My secret is fragile_

_Yet with the strength of a dam_

_I steal glances at you_

_When you don't look_

_Constantly thinking of you_

_Like an unfinished book_

_My heart is always singing_

_As I do the same_

_Flowing through the harmonic notes_

_Though it is my inner voice that has yet to be tamed_

_I gives smiles a healthy embrace_

_And let laughter and joy in my heart_

_Constantly trying to prove my intelligence_

_Trying to show I'm truly smart_

_So given the clues engraved in this poem_

_This will be or not be a hard task_

_But for now, I will remain the shadow, the secret_

_The girl in the mask_

_Love,_

_Your admirer_

Hermione looked up. Harry looked shocked, but he had a small smile on his face. Hermione smiled. "Looks like she's got it bad for you, Harry." Ron said suddenly. Hermione laughed. Harry turned red. He took the letter from Hermione's hands and folded it, then put it in his pocket. He looked back down to his eggs. They didn't mention another word about it

* * *

A/N: I hope you liked the chapter! I originally wrote that poem about me so I could give it to my crush for my own secret admirer's letter. But I didn't so I just rearranged some of the lines and used it for this story. I hope you liked it! Don't forget to review! 


	11. The Last Letter

A/N: Thank you all who reviewed! You are probably sick of these author's notes but I don't care! Lol. Anyway, I'm glad you all liked my poem in chapter 10! I stayed up the whole night to write that a while ago. Thank you again for reviewing. Especially to H+H-romance-addict. Thank you, you made me feel special!

Disclaimer: I know how to spell! You want to see? Ok! I A-M N-O-T J K R-O-W-L-I-N-G A-N-D I D-O N-O-T O-W-N A-N-Y O-F T-H-E-S-E C-H-A-R-A-C-T-E-R-S! See? I spell good! Lol.

Now to the story that you all love!

* * *

For the next few days, Harry kept getting letters from his admirer. Each with a couple of clues each to who she was. But Harry still hadn't figured out who the girl was.

He and Ron were sitting in the Common Room, playing Wizard's Chess. Of course, Harry was losing brutally. He wasn't really paying attention to his moves. He thought about the mystery girl. 'She sounds familiar,' he thought to himself. 'I just don't know who it is.'

"Hey, Ron?" Harry asked slowly. Ron looked up. "Yeah, mate?" he answered. Harry kept looking at the board. "What do you think I should do? About the letters, I mean." He added. Ron paused for a moment. "Well," he said. "I think you should write her a letter telling her to meet you somewhere. Like at the Hogsmeade trip on Valentine's Day."

Harry thought this over. This would be perfect. He would finally meet the mystery girl. He actually liked her. Maybe even loved this girl. And he didn't even know who it was.

"That's perfect." Harry admitted. "Brilliant."

Ron smiled. "I know." He boasted. Hermione came through the Portrait Hole. "Hi, Ron. Hi Harry." She greeted with a smile. Harry didn't know why, but he suddenly turned pink at the sight of her. "Oh, hi Hermione." Harry said, trying to sound casual. Ron only waved. He saw the look on Harry's face and chuckled to himself. Hermione didn't notice. She just walked up to the girls' dormitories.

"Why are you laughing?" Harry snapped. Ron smiled. "You fancy Hermione. Come on. Admit it." he urged. Harry glared at him, his face turning red. "I have no idea what you're talking about." He lied. Truth is, he probably did like Hermione.

Ron's smile grew even wider. "Come on, Harry! Your face is turning red. You know you fancy her." He said slyly. Harry blushed even more. "Fine. I kind of like Hermione, ok?" he admitted. "But I think I like this admirer more." He added. Ron nodded. "I knew it." he muttered, smiling. Harry glared at him again, but he didn't notice. They just finished their game of Wizard's Chess. Ron had won, of course. Ron handed Harry some parchment.

"Go on. Write to her." He urged. Harry knew he meant the admirer. So he got his quill and began to write.

* * *

Hermione lay on her bed a couple hours later, reading the romance novel Ginny had given her for Christmas. She sighed. She was about halfway through the book when Ginny came in.

"Hey, Gin." Hermione greeted, closing her book and setting it on her nightstand. Ginny sat on Hermione's bed with her. "Hey, Hermione." She said. Hermione noticed she looked especially happy at the moment. "Why do you seem so cheerful?" Hermione asked, grinning. Ginny squealed with delight. "Draco asked me to go to Hogsmeade with him on Valentine's Day!" she confessed, her blue eyes shining brightly. Hermione squealed with her. "Oh, Ginny, I'm so happy for you!" she exclaimed, and wrapped Ginny in a hug. Ginny pulled away and asked, "Does Harry know that you're the one sending the letters?"

Hermione shook her head. "No. He's too much of a brainless git to figure it out!" she laughed. Ginny laughed, too. They were suddenly interrupted by a soft pecking on the window. They saw Hedwig pecking the window with her beak. "Poor Hedwig," Hermione said sympathetically, walking over to the window. "We've been sending her back and forth for about a week now! I bet she's exhausted!"

Hermione took the note from Hedwig. Ginny took Hedwig to Hermione's bed and stroked her while Hermione read the letter. Hermione's jaw dropped when she finished reading. "G-Ginny!" she gasped. "L-look at t-this!"

Ginny took the letter and read. It said:

_My Dear Admirer,_

_We have talked for a while, now. I still do not know who you are. Please meet me at Hogsmeade on Valentine's Day. I very well wish to know who you are._

_With Love,_

_Harry_

Hermione saw Ginny's eyes widen. She looked up at Hermione. "He wants to meet you!" she yelped happily. Hermione didn't feel too happy, though. Ginny seemed to read her mind. "Hermione, aren't you happy?" she asked. Hermione shrugged.

"Ginny, what if he finds out it's me who is his admirer and he doesn't want to be with me and runs away?" she asked fearfully and sadly. Ginny put a hand on Hermione's shoulder. "He wouldn't run away, Hermione. You know that. And if he likes his admirer, he just might like you." She assured, Hermione chuckled. "Well," she said unsure. "I guess I will then." Ginny bounced up and down, hugging Hermione. "I KNEW that it would happen! I knew it1" she exclaimed. Hermione looked puzzled. 'Knew what?" she asked. Ginny stopped jumping around. "I knew that you and Harry would be together! It was _bound_ to happen!" she explained. Hermione blushed.

* * *

The next day, everyone was at the Great Hall for dinner. Harry, Hermione, and Ron were laughing at Seamus, who tried to make the pitcher of pumpkin juice levitate over to him, but accidentally spilled it over his head. He stormed out of the Great Hall, furious and embarrassed and, of course, sticky from the juice. Then the owls started to pour into the Great Hall. A letter dropped in front of Harry. 'Finally,' he thought, knowing exactly who it was from. 'I hope she says yes!'

He tore open the letter excitedly. Inside it read:

_Dearest Harry,_

_Of course I will meet you in Hogsmeade. I would love to tell you how I feel in person. Though I hope that you will not be disappointed to find out who I am. Meet me at the clock tower at noon. I will where a pink t-shirt and jeans. I can't wait to see you!_

_Love,_

_Your Admirer_

Harry beamed. He was going to meet her face-to-face! He could hardly breathe. Ron snatched the letter from his hands and after reading it, gave Harry a pat on the back. Harry looked over and saw that Hermione had already left.

The next day, Hermione was no where to be found. Harry decided to take a walk, since Ron was busy playing chess with Ginny.

When Harry was walking, he heard something nearby. It was a girl singing. It was beautiful. 'Who is that?' he thought curiously. He looked around. It was coming towards the lake. As he walked nearer to the voice, the words became more clear.

_I will forevermore remain a mystery_

_Though you know who I am_

_My secret is fragile_

_Yet with the strength of a dam……_

It sounded familiar. But Harry couldn't remember it. When he found the voice, he was surprised.

Hermione sat on the rock they had that one day where they almost kissed, singing a song. Harry was mesmerized by her voice. 'When did she learn how to sing like that?' he wondered. 'Has she always been that good?'

She stopped singing and saw Harry. Her eyes grew wide and she turned red. Harry smiled and sat next to her. "Hermione, that was beautiful." He sighed. Hermione blushed even more and looked away. "I've always loved to sing." She explained. "I express myself through singing, and other things." She added softly.

"Like what?" Harry asked. Hermione shook her head. "Nothing." She said. Harry decided not to discuss that.

"Hermione, look at this." Harry told her, pulling out the letter he had received from his admirer. "I'm meeting her." He added, excited. "At Hogsmeade. Can you believe it? I'm finally meeting the girl of my dreams!" he blurted out. Hermione looked over to him. "She's the girl of your dreams?" she asked politely. Harry nodded, blushing. Hermione opened her mouth as if to say something, but closed it. "What were you about to say, Hermione?" Harry asked her.

"Well," she started. "I was going to say…that I'm happy for you, Harry. I truly am." She said with a smile. He smiled back.

"Come on, 'Mione. It's cold." He told her. And with that they walked off.

Then, while walking up to the castle, Cho came up to the both of them. "Hello Harry." She said warmly, batting her eyelashes. "Hi." Harry said politely. He saw Hermione roll her eyes from the corner of his eye.

"How are you?" she asked, touching his hand. He pulled it away. "I'm fine, thanks." He said. "You are looking as good as you feel, then." She added playfully. Hermione scoffed. Harry turned to her, but he saw her run back to the castle. Harry was suddenly worried.

"Sorry, Cho, but I have to see if Hermione is ok." He said. And he went to run after Hermione.

* * *

Cho stood there, appalled. "How dare he leave me for that…that _mudblood_?" she exclaimed furiously. She looked to the ground and saw a folded piece of parchment Harry seemed to have dropped. She opened it up and read it. After reading it, her eyes lit up with glee and evil. "Oh, this is _perfect_!" she said. Then she trotted back to the castle, making up an evil plan.

* * *

A/N: Hi! I hope you liked this chapter! I hope you review it. I will work on chapter 12 as soon as I can. But for now, I must leave you all. Once again, thank you all for reviewing. I hope you do the same with this chapter! 


	12. At Last! The Meeting!

A/N: Thank you all for reviewing! –wipes tear from eye- I'm so happy! Lol just kidding. I know you all are anxious for this chapter, and I hope no one throws anything at me when it's finished!

Disclaimer: Ok, I'm not J. K. Rowling, and I don't own any of these characters. What? You want me to break into song or something? Lol.

On with the story!

* * *

Hermione sat on the couch in the Common Room right in front of the fire. She stared into it for a few minutes. 'I knew it,' she thought glumly. 'He doesn't love me. He wants Cho Chang. Cho bloody Chang!'

She heard someone come through the Portrait Hole. She knew exactly who it was. He sat down next to her. She could feel his eyes on her. "Hermione, what was that all about?" he asked, sounding worried. Hermione shook her head. "It's just that Cho gets on my nerves when she does that!" Hermione admitted. "Always flirting and giggling. It's driving me insane!" She looked over to Harry. His eyes were still on her. She sighed. "But," she said. "If you like Cho, I don't mind." She lied.

Harry was about to say something, but Hermione got up from where she was sitting and went up the girls' dormitories.

Harry shook his head. He saw Ron come down from the boys' dormitories. "Hey, mate." He said cheerfully. Harry nodded. "Hey," he replied. Ron sat next to him. Harry saw the look on Ron's face. "What are you so happy about?" he asked curiously and coyly. Ron's ears turned red. "Well," he said. "IaskdLavdertgotoHogmeadewitme." He said quickly. "What was that?" Harry asked. Ron took a deep breath and said. "I asked Lavender to go to Hogsmeade with me."

Harry grinned. Ron turned even redder. "Good for you, mate." Harry congratulated. Ron smiled. "Hey, you too." He said. Harry was slightly confused. "What are you talking about?" he asked. Ron's smile grew. "You know," he told him. "Your date with your admirer."

Harry blushed. He was suddenly reminded of how anxious he was to meet this mystery girl. The Hogsmeade trip was a week away. "Who do you think it is?" Ron asked him thoughtfully. Harry shrugged. 'Someone I know, I guess." He replied. Ron snorted. "Yeah, that really narrows it down." He retorted. They both laughed. "I don't know, Ron. I mean, she could be anyone." Harry pointed out. Ron nodded in agreement.

"Hey, want to play a game of Wizard's Chess?" Ron asked brightly. Harry nodded.

* * *

It was the day of the Hogsmeade trip, and Harry was even more anxious than he was a week ago. He chose to wear a dark red sweater with jeans. As he went down the staircase, he saw Ron and Lavender. Ron's ears were a slight tinge of pink. Harry smiled. He walked up to them and joined them.

"Hey, mate." Ron said happily. "You ready to meet your admirer?" Harry turned red. "You bet." He replied. They both smiled. "Oooh, Harry has an admirer?" piped Lavender. Harry blushed even more and nodded. "Oh, that's so sweet!" she exclaimed. She turned to Ron. "Isn't that sweet?" Ron turned red. Harry sniggered behind Lavender's back at the sight of Ron's face. Ron nodded. "Yeah, I guess." He said unsurely. Lavender turned back to Harry. "You _have_ to tell me who she is once you meet her!" she stated. "Uh," Harry replied. "Sure."

A little while later, everyone was at Hogsmeade. It was only 10:30, so Harry decided to go to the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer with Ron and Lavender. They had agreed that Harry could hang out with them until noon, when Harry was supposed to meet his admirer. His stomach did flip flops as he waited for it to be noon. Ron could see the look of anxiousness on his face.

"Nervous, Harry?" Ron asked, grinning. Harry blushed. "A little." He admitted. "It's going to be fine, Harry." Lavender reassured. Harry nodded. He looked at his wristwatch. It read 11:30. 'Only a half hour more.' He thought excitedly.

At a few minutes before noon, Harry left Lavender and Ron at the Three Broomsticks to the clock tower. His stomach was doing back flips and front flips. For a few seconds he even held his stomach to get it to stop. When he reached the clock tower, no one was there. He sighed and sat at the bench next to it. After a few minutes, he had lost hope. "I should have known th-" he started, but stopped when he saw a girl coming from around the clock tower. She wore a pink t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

"_Cho_?" he said in disbelief. "_You _were the one who sent me all those letters?" Cho nodded. "Yes, Harry. And I meant every one of them. I love you, Harry. I hope you love me, too." She took a step towards him. He blinked. 'Cho couldn't have possibly written all that! But she did…' he thought.

"Well…I guess that I love you, too." He told her slowly. She beamed at him and gave him a huge hug. He returned it. She pulled away. Before he knew it, her lips crashed onto his. He put his hands on her waist and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Suddenly, they heard a voice nearby.

"What's going on here?" the girl said. They broke away from the kiss to look at a shocked Hermione. Harry saw that she wore a pink t-shirt and jeans, the same as Cho.

Cho stiffened. "What do you think? I'm Harry's admirer." She stated. Harry saw Hermione's fists clench. "What!" she shouted. "That's not true! _I_ am Harry's admirer! _I_ am the one who wrote all those letters! _I_ am the one he danced with at the ball! _I_ am the one he kissed before I fled! _You_ are just an imposter." She admitted. Then she realized what she had just said and put a hand over her mouth.

Harry couldn't believe it. "_You_ are my admirer?" he asked Hermione. Tears spilled down her cheeks. "Yes, Harry. But I see that you don't want me. You want this-this-" she cried, but she couldn't get the sentence out. She turned around and ran away, crying.

"Don't listen to her, Harry!" Cho tried to tell him. "She doesn't know what she's talking about."

Harry turned to her. He pulled away. "Oh, really?" he asked angrily. He suddenly realized something. The song Hermione had sang…it was the poem in one of the letters! 'The clues fit perfectly!' he thought.

"Tell me, Cho, what did you say about poetry in your second letter?" he asked her. Cho gulped. She didn't say anything for a moment. "Um," she started. "I said that I hated it."

Harry glared at her. "You're not the admirer!" he shouted. Cho flinched. "Hermione is! She actually _wrote_ poetry in her letters!" Harry realized something. "And," he said to himself. "I think I'm in _love_ with her!"

Cho's jaw dropped. "Y-You can't be serious, Harry!" she cried. "You said you loved me!" Harry scoffed. "When I thought you were the admirer, I loved you. I fell in love with the admirer." And with that, he ran off to look for Hermione.

* * *

Hermione took an early carriage home. Before it went off, the carriage door open, to find the tear-stained face of Ginny. She got inside and hugged Hermione. "H-Hermione!" she wailed, sobbing. "I-it was h-horrible! D-Draco was k-kissing another g-girl!" she sobbed even harder. When she pulled away, she saw that Hermione was crying, too. "What is wrong?" she asked her. Hermione told her the whole story. Ginny gasped. "That evil witch!" she cried, hugging Hermione again. It was Hermione's turn to cry. "I d-don't even know w-why I t-thought that H-Harry could love me! H-he's better with Cho bloody C-Chang!' she sobbed. Ginny patted her on the back. "There, there, Hermione." She assured. "It's alright. Harry's a prat. You don't need him."

Hermione pulled away. "Y-you don't unders-stand!" she cried. "We can't even be f-friends again!"

Ginny hugged her again. They rode away in silence. The only sound heard was Hermione's crying.

* * *

Harry searched all over for Hermione. She couldn't be found anywhere. He was still shocked that Hermione was his admirer. He found Ron and Lavender still in the Three Broomsticks, kissing. Harry didn't care. He practically ran up to their table. "Ron!" Harry said breathlessly. Ron broke from the kiss, his face red. He looked angry. "What?" he asked. "I know who my admirer is!" he exclaimed. Ron didn't look angry anymore. "Who is it? Why aren't you with her?"

Harry sat down and explained the whole story to Ron and Lavender. About Cho trying to make him believe she was the admirer and Hermione's sudden outburst. They were all silent when he finished. Lavender was the first to speak.

"Oh, when I get my hands on Cho I'll curse her into next month!" Lavender said, fuming. Ron just sat there with his jaw dropped. "_Hermione_?" he finally said. "Hermione is your admirer? She's the one who sent you that poetry?" Harry nodded. "Now I can't find her." He told them glumly. "Maybe she went back to the castle early." Lavender proposed. Harry's face lit up. "Maybe you're right!" he exclaimed. Lavender beamed. "I'll go find her!"

"Ron, let's go with him." Lavender pleaded. "Please?" Ron sighed. "Let's go." He said. Harry, Ron, and Lavender went to the carriages.

* * *

They all bolted for Gryffindor Tower. Harry was in front of them. Lavender and Ron had a hard time catching up. "Harry, wait up!" Lavender called, but Harry didn't hear her. He was too consumed with his thoughts of Hermione. 'I have to talk to her!' he thought. 'I have to let her know that I love her!'

They stood in front of the Fat Lady. She looked down at him. "_You_ are the one who made that young miss cry, aren't you?" she asked crossly. Harry was taken aback. "So she's in here?" he asked hopefully. She nodded. "_Petrificus Totalus_!" he said, panting. The portrait swung open. Harry climbed inside…

* * *

A/N: I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Another cliffie, huh? Don't worry! I WILL update soon. Don't forget to review! Don't hit me with anything, please! –ducks for cover- 


	13. Poor Hermione! Poor Harry!

A/N: Hi people…sorry for the cliffie! And thank you to all who reviewed so far! I feel so special inside. If fact, I can't stop smiling! Lol. So I send a shout out to: Ame no Majo, Aevum, Oro4, IdUnNoXx, RonluvHermione, violin girl, call me brit, shirechick, harry's-girl07, JCAL, utterbliss, TwitchythePsycho, Lady Edelweiss, jellemeg, Princess Nightfire (an aardvark?), H+H-romance-addict, future movie maker, PrincessLuckyCML, and Bewitched-Babe. THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING! I love you all!

Disclaimer: -holds a sign that says I AM NOT J. K. ROWLING THESE CHARACTERS BELONG TO HER- I hope this gets the point across…lol.

Now for chapter 13! YAY!

* * *

_The portrait swung open. Harry climbed inside…_

Harry saw Hermione on the couch near the fire. Her arms were wrapped around her knees and her head was buried in them. She was sobbing and shaking. There was parchment on the floor in front of her with writing on it. No one else was around. Harry walked over slowly and gently put a hand on her shoulder. Hermione's head shot up and she looked up at him. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying and she looked miserable. Harry felt guilty. She looked up to him with hatred in her eyes. She stood up, her fists clenched. "Go away." She ordered. Harry shook his head. "I said GO AWAY." She repeated. "No, Hermione. I won't." Harry told her defiantly.

"I hate you!" she yelled. Harry flinched and felt his heart break. She couldn't hate him! He had just realized he loved her!

"Hermione I-"

"Shut up!" Hermione shouted. "Just shut up! I hate you! You hear me! Leave me alone! Go on! Go out and snog Cho or something. Because I don't care anymore!" tears were running down her cheeks. She turned around and bolted up the girls' staircase.

"Hermione!" Harry called, but she didn't turn back. Harry groaned in frustration and ran a hand through his hair, putting the other hand on his side. "What have I done?" he asked himself. "Why am I so stupid?" Just then, the Portrait Hole opened and Ron and Lavender climbed through, panting.

"Where's…Hermione?" Lavender gasped. "She ran off." Harry replied. Lavender bit her lip. "I don't think I should go up there just yet." Lavender said thoughtfully. Harry and Ron nodded. Harry walked over and picked up the piece of parchment on the floor. It was another poem. It read:

_Broken Hearted Tears_

_She closes the door behind  
Her, the tears running down  
And down  
You can feel her pain and  
Sorrow as she punches the  
Wall furious and remorseful  
He broke her heart and tore  
It into small pieces  
Unrepairable  
Unattachable  
She screams in her pillow,  
Drowning in salty tears  
Looks at old pictures  
Pictures of him  
Tears them as he did  
Her heart  
She loved him  
She did not know why this  
Happened  
She thought the love, the bond  
They had could never be  
Broken, torn  
Look now  
Look now at the face of this  
Delicate, remorseful creature  
Drowning in her own  
Broken-hearted tears_

Ron slowly walked over to Harry and he gave Ron the parchment. Ron look surprised as he read it. "Wow," he breathed. "That's…that's…I don't even know how to explain it." Harry nodded. "Beautiful? Amazing? Or devastating and wonderful at the same time?" Harry questioned. Ron nodded. Lavender took the parchment from Ron. Her mouth was slightly agape and her eyes were wide. "Hermione wrote this?" she asked. Harry nodded. "It's wonderful!" Tears were in Lavender's eyes. "Poor Hermione! I think I should go up there."

Just then, Ginny came down, looking miserable, yet filled with rage. She saw Harry and stormed up to him. She stood there for a moment when Harry tried to say something. "Gin-" SMACK. Ginny had hit him across the face so hard, he stumbled back a couple of steps. Ron's jaw dropped and Lavender gasped. Ginny kept staring at him up-most loathingly.

"You bloody moron!" she bellowed. "How could you? Hermione's heart is broken because of you! She's bawling her eyes out right now! Have you any idea about the pain you put her through? I do. I also had my heart broken. But that's beside the point. Hermione hates you now! You are such…such an _insensitive_ hateful prat!" she sounded much like Mrs. Weasley saying these things so much that Ron flinched. Ginny ran up the stairs, probably to go tend to Hermione.

"I think I should go up, too." Lavender told them. Harry nodded. Lavender trotted up the stairs to go see Hermione. Harry ran his hand through his hair again. "I can't believe this." He sighed. He felt horrible. Hermione hated him, but he loved her. His heart was breaking. He sat down on the couch and put his face in his hands. "I'm such an idiot!" he snarled.

* * *

Hermione lay face down on her bed, bawling. "Why? Why me?" she asked over and over. Ginny sat next to her, patting her back. "It's ok, 'Mione." She said. Lavender came in. "Hermione?" Lavender whispered. "I'm so sorry."

Hermione looked up. Lavender was staring at her sympathetically and sat on the other side of Hermione's four poster bed. "He doesn't love me, Lav!" she sobbed. "He loves Cho! I'm such a fool." She cried even harder. Lavender sighed. "First of all, he doesn't love Cho. She tricked him. And he feels really bad about what happened. He looked like he was on the verge of tears." She assured. Hermione sat up and stared at the foot of her bed. "It doesn't matter. I hate him. But I still love him!" she cried. Ginny and Lavender hugged her. "You know," Lavender pointed out. "I feel the same way. And," she added. "I think he hates himself, also."

"Well, there's one thing in common." Hermione said, wiping a tear from her eye. "We both hate him!" she chuckled weakly. "Come on," she insisted. "Why would he love _me_? I'm Hermione Granger. Frizzy haired, bucktoothed, know-it-all Her-" she stated, but Ginny cut her off.

"That's not true! You're smart, funny, pretty, and so not a know-it-all." She reassured. Hermione lowered her head. "Ginny, its fine. I accept who I am." She looked up and Ginny shook her head. "Hermione, stop talking like that." She commanded. Hermione sighed. "He doesn't want me. Who would want me?" she cried, leaning her head on Ginny's shoulder. Ginny patted her head softly. "You know, Hermione," Lavender pointed out. "Why do you think he would run from the carriages all the way up here to Gryffindor Tower without stopping just to see you?" Hermione stopped crying. "H-he did?" she sniffed. Lavender nodded. "We had a hard time catching up with him, me and Ron." She added.

Hermione didn't know what to say. Harry ran all the way to Gryffindor Tower for _her_? Yeah, right. "I don't know. Why would he?" she asked Lavender. Lavender smacked her hand on her forehead. "Come on, Hermione!" she exclaimed in disbelief. "You are the smartest witch of our age! And you don't even realize it!"

"Realize what?"

"Harry is in LOVE with you, Hermione!" Lavender shouted. Hermione's heart stopped. 'Harry…Harry Potter…loves _me_? I don't believe it!'

"Harry loves _me_?" Hermione muttered, fidgeting with her hands. Lavender nodded. "He was pretty hurt about what you said to him down there. And when Ginny said to him and slapped him." She pointed out. Hermione turned her head to Ginny. "You _hit him_?" she asked, shocked. Ginny nodded guiltily. "Yeah, pretty hard, too." She added. Hermione started laughing. Pretty soon all of them were laughing. Slowly, the laughing died down until they were all silent.

Hermione sighed. "Why did he kiss Cho, though?" she questioned. "I told you. She told him that she was his admirer and that she wrote all those letters just to get Harry." Lavender explained. Hermione looked down at her feet. Ginny gave her a worried look. "Do you still love him?" she asked warily.

Did she still love him? Hermione thought for a moment. She was still upset with Harry, but did that affect her love for him? 'Do I hate him for what he did? For breaking my heart? Can I never forgive him again? Or do I still want him? Do I still need him? Will I easily forgive and forget? Probably not, but can I at least forgive? Maybe. Or would he still want me when I apologize?' Questions were pouring into Hermione's mind. After a little while, her head started to hurt from all the questions. "Well?" Ginny asked cautiously. Hermione looked up to Ginny and Lavender. They both had worried looks on their face. Hermione sighed and nodded slowly. "Yes, I still love him!" she breathed. She lay down back on her bed. "But the question is, will he still love me after I said I hated him?"

Lavender and Ginny nodded vigorously. "Of course." Lavender assured. "You should have seen him down in the Common Room. He looked like he hated himself!"

Hermione bit her lip. "Maybe…" she thought out loud. "…I should go talk to him."

Ginny nodded slowly in agreement. "I think that would be best." Lavender sighed. Hermione wiped her eyes and got up slowly. "Alright." She said before heading for the door. "I'm going."

* * *

A/N: Don't get mad! –ducks- I sooo promise I'll update soon! Pinky swear! –holds out pinky- Don't forget to review! Peace! 


	14. I Love You

A/N: Hi people! I know that you know what's coming next…you know that I'm going to thank all who reviewed, show a disclaimer, and then get on with Chapter 14, right? Am I THAT predictable? Lol. Well, I hope you like this chapter and thank you all who reviewed! Please review this chapter, too. It's the last chapter, folks! Yes, I know. It's heartbreaking. Lol.

Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, yeah…not J. K. Rowling…not my characters…blah, blah, blah…

Now, for CHAPTER 14! FINALLY!

* * *

Harry sat out on the boulder by the lake. Tears were softly rolling down his cheeks. "I'm so stupid!" he scolded himself. "Why did I believe Cho? Why? Now Hermione won't even talk to me!" 

He picked up a small stone beside him and heaved it into the water. The lazy giant squid in the lake put up a tentacle to catch the rock, then went back underwater. Harry sighed. He brought his knees up to his face and buried his head in them while wrapping his arms around his legs like Hermione had done earlier. "I hate myself!" he said in a muffled voice. He mentally kicked himself over and over.

_Maybe you should apologize to her._ Offered the voice Harry used to argue with. He shook his head, his face still buried in his knees. "She'll never forgive me. She hates me. She said it herself." He indicated. The voice sighed. _You know, it's not your fault that Cho tricked you._ The voice assured. "Yeah, but I shouldn't have fallen for it!" Harry complained. The voice vanished and nothing more was said. Harry sat there for what seemed like the longest time.

'How could I have been so stupid?' he thought miserably. 'Hermione hates me! All because of Cho.' He growled mentally. 'I can't believe her! I hate Cho!'

Harry's thoughts were interrupted when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to a puffy-eyed Hermione.

* * *

Hermione darted all around Hogwarts looking for Harry. She realized where he was. She bolted for the doors and headed outside for the lake. She ran to the all-too-familiar boulder which they had sat on twice before and found Harry. His knees were brought up to his face and his arms were wrapped around his legs. As she walked closer, she heard him slightly crying. 'Oh, poor Harry!' she thought sadly. 'I hope that I didn't hurt him _too _bad!' 

She put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to Hermione. His eyes were red and slightly puffy from crying. Tears were running down his face. He stopped looking at her and gazed at the lake. She sat down next to him. Harry sighed and told her, "Do you hate me, really?"

Hermione held her breath. This was it. 'Time to tell him how you feel, Hermione.' She said mentally. Hermione let out her breath. 'No, Harry, I don't hate you. I could never hate you. I'm upset at you, but I far from hate you." She wiped a tear from his cheek. He looked down at his feet and sighed again. "You hurt me when you said that you know, Hermione." He pointed out. Hermione nodded slowly. "Yes, I know, and I'm so sorry." She whispered. She wanted so bad as to hug him, but kept control of herself.

Harry turned to look at her. "Then why did you say that?" he asked. Hermione's heart started to break all over again at the sight of his sad-stricken face. "I guess that I too mad to think and I said those things. I guess-"

"How do you really feel then? If you don't hate me, that is." Harry added. Hermione felt her heart beating faster. 'Here goes nothing.' She thought.

"Well, the truth is Harry…I don't hate you." Hermione explained. "Like I said, I could never hate you. In fact, I…um…well I…" she stammered. 'Get it out already!' she scolded herself. "I…I care for you more than I've ever cared for anyone in my whole life. I think and worry about you day and night. I always want to hold you when you're sad. I always try to make you happy. I help you in any way I can. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have you. You are my Light, my hope, my dreams, my savior, and my best friend. But there is one more thing that you are…the love of my life. What I'm trying to say is…" she inhaled. "…I love you, Harry."

'There. I said it. Now there's no going back.' She thought. She bit her lip and looked down. Harry just stared at her. After a few minutes she started to get up. "It's ok. I see that you don't feel the same way, so-"

"Hermione, wait." Harry pleaded, grabbing her wrist. She sat back down and looked in his eyes.

"Hermione, I _do_ feel the same way. I can't survive without you. I deserved what you said to me. I deserve being slapped by Ginny." He rubbed his cheek. "But that never changed how I felt about you. It broke my heart when you told me that you hated me. I hated myself for falling for Cho's stupid lie. I hated myself for everything. But most of all, I hated myself for making you devastated." Harry took Hermione's hand in his. "Hermione, I don't care for Cho. I care about you. More than anything. More than Quidditch. More than Ron. More than life itself. I can't imagine living without you. I need you, Hermione. I…" he paused. "I…love you."

Hermione's eyes filled with tears. She threw her arms around Harry, hugging him. Harry returned the embrace. She pulled away slowly. Harry smiled and leaned towards her, cradling her face in his hands. They kissed. She wrapped her arms around his neck. She had never been happier in her life. Harry Potter loved her! She smiled as he deepened the kiss.

After a while, air became necessary, so they both pulled apart, gaping for air. They were both smiling. "I love you, Harry." Hermione breathed. Harry's smile widened. "I love you too, Hermione."

They walked hand-in-hand back to the castle. They saw Cho watching them with rage. They didn't care. When they entered the Gryffindor Common Room, everyone was there. When they saw that they were holding hands, the whole room burst in cheers.

Ginny came up to Hermione excitedly. "Hermione! I just talked to Draco. We're back together! I overheard the girl talking and I found Draco. He explained everything and I forgave him. Isn't that great?"

Hermione smiled up to Harry. "Sure is." Hermione replied. She and Harry kissed.

_Finished

* * *

_

_Epilogue_

Harry defeated Voldemort in his seventh year. He and Hermione got married a year after they finished Hogwarts. They had two girls named Lily and Jane. They bought a flat quite near Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's house. Dobby happily served them, with pay and vacations and Sundays off. Ron and Lavender married a few months after Harry and Hermione, and had four kids named Madison, Luther, Emily, and Robert. They bought a bigger flat near Harry and Hermione. Ginny and Draco married right after Ginny's seventh year and bought the flat next to Harry and Hermione. They had one child named Jacob. Draco, Ron, and Harry all became Aurors. Hermione became a Healer, and Ginny and Lavender took care of the children at home.

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A/N: Well, that's it! I hope you liked it! Please review, it'll mean a lot to me. Awww, don't throw stuff at meh, Oro4! Lol. Buh-Byez! Please review! Peace! 


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